Higher costs pinch Indonesian nickel producers
A persistent nickel ore shortage in Indonesia is raising costs for producers even as a wider global surplus in the refined metal caps prices, according to a market summary this…
Asia
Lithium price may ease again as China mine restarts
Chinese battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) is expected to resume production at its lithium mine in Yichun of Jiangxi province, in a move that could alleviate supply concerns and…
China’s steel demand share to plunge 36% by 2050
China’s steel consumption is projected to decline steadily over the next decade, marking a structural shift in global demand dynamics, according to a new report from Wood Mackenzie. The country…
Opinion: US mineral strategy turns to Africa
What do Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal all have in common? They’re all countries located along Africa’s west coast. But they’re also small; collectively, these five countries have an…
Uranium demand to surge nearly 30% by 2030
Global uranium demand is expected to soar as nuclear power cements its role in the clean energy transition, according to the World Nuclear Association’s biennial Nuclear Fuel Report released Friday. The…
Freeport CEO urges US aid to grow copper
United States mining giant Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) is calling on the Trump administration to sweeten incentives for domestic copper producers and cut permitting times to help offset weak metal grades,…
Rio Tinto overhauls units, axes execs
Rio Tinto’s (ASX, NYSE, LSE: RIO) new CEO Simon Trott has launched a sweeping overhaul of the miner’s structure, consolidating operations into three core divisions while placing several non-core assets…
Vietnam lifts state monopoly on gold
Vietnam, the third-largest importer of gold in Asia, issued a decree on Tuesday abolishing its 13-year-old state monopoly on gold trading, causing a spike in local prices even as the…
Kyrgyzstan kicks off underground gold mining at Kumtor
Kyrgyzstan has begun underground production at Kumtor, one of Central Asia’s largest bullion mines, which officials say could contain up to 147 metric tonnes of reserves. President Sadyr Japarov nationalized…
China extends rare earth controls to imports
China has rolled out tighter controls on the mining and processing of rare earths by expanding its quota system to include imported materials and requiring enterprises to report on the…
Lithium price surge forecast to be short
Lithium prices surged this week on concerns about supply disruptions in China, but analysts are warning the rally will be short-lived. A halt in production at Chinese lepidolite mines, which…
Infographic: Antimony refinement
Antimony is a critical mineral—vital for military applications and ammunition, semiconductors and specialized alloys. Control over its refining capacity carries significant strategic leverage. The Chinese and Russian Spheres of…