BHP averts strike at world’s biggest copper mine
BHP (ASX, LSE: BHP) and the supervisors’ union at its Escondida mine in Chile have reached a preliminary agreement to avert a strike at the world’s largest copper operation. Members…
Intelligence
JPMorgan names critical minerals chief for $1.5T push
JPMorganChase (NYSE: JPM) has appointed Andrew Frame to lead critical minerals investment efforts under its $1.5-trillion (C$2.1 trillion) Security and Resiliency Initiative (SRI), placing him at the centre of a…
Copper price gains as Chile strike threatens output
Copper prices climbed Thursday as a strike by more than 700 workers at Antofagasta’s (LSE: ANTO) Centinela mine in Chile raised concerns about production disruptions that could become more serious…
Rio Tinto to expand metals trading beyond own output
Rio Tinto (ASX, NYSE, LSE: RIO) plans to expand its metals trading business into third-party material and derivatives as chief executive Simon Trott seeks to squeeze more value from the…
Ex-Gold Fields CEO targets $1B Africa mining fund
Former Gold Fields (JSE, NYSE: GFI) CEO Chris Griffith has joined a private equity venture seeking to raise $1 billion to invest in African critical minerals, four years after leaving…
Uranium miners race to catch surging nuclear demand
The uranium market is slipping into a structural deficit as surging nuclear demand outpaces the development of new mines. Global uranium exploration and development spending exceeded $1.78 billion in 2023…
Deals sharpen South America’s critical minerals edge
South America is moving to turn its vast mineral wealth into a coordinated production and investment hub as governments race to secure critical minerals for energy, technology and defence. Chile,…
DRC probes how uranium ‘leaked’ into cobalt exports
The Democratic Republic of Congo is investigating uranium contamination in cobalt exports after researchers estimated that thousands of tonnes of the radioactive metal probably left the world’s largest cobalt-producing nation…
Codelco’s El Teniente setback deepens copper fears
Codelco’s decision to suspend development of the Andes Norte section at its flagship El Teniente mine could last as long as two years, according to a union leader, compounding production…
Gangs hijack Ecuador’s gold mining supply chain
Ecuador has elevated illegal mining to a national security threat after concluding that criminal gangs have infiltrated the country’s gold supply chain, from extraction to export, turning the sector into…
Malaysia probes Lynas’ Pentagon rare earths deal
Malaysia is scrutinizing Lynas Rare Earths’ (ASX: LYC) $96-million supply agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense after a parliamentary committee reviewed whether the deal could affect the country’s support…
Billions in US-funded rare earths are Asia-bound: report
United States-backed rare earths producers are selling much of their output to Japan and South Korea because American magnet manufacturing has yet to catch up with Washington’s drive to build…