Robert Friedland

Robert Friedland

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Founder, Ivanhoe Mines/Ivanhoe Electric; influential mining entrepreneur commenting on metals and projects.

Featured in WSJ: Insights on Global Sulphur Market
SocialApr 16, 2026

Featured in WSJ: Insights on Global Sulphur Market

Thank you Ed Ballard for featuring me in your recent @WSJ article on the global #sulphur market. https://t.co/eYZx1hgh4G

By Robert Friedland
Australian Mining Teeters on Collapse From Diesel Shortages
SocialApr 15, 2026

Australian Mining Teeters on Collapse From Diesel Shortages

The Australian mining industry is now on the verge of collapse due to diesel shortages. One of the country’s last two refineries is in flames, and the fuel supply chain that powers every drill, truck, and haul is about to snap. This...

By Robert Friedland
China's Sulphuric Acid Export Ban Boosts Copper Prices
SocialApr 10, 2026

China's Sulphuric Acid Export Ban Boosts Copper Prices

Chinese authorities have announced that China will not be allowed to export sulphuric acid from next month, with the only exception being electronic‑grade sulphuric acid. This means that neither smelter acid nor sulphur‑based acid can be exported will be able...

By Robert Friedland
Acid Prices Surge as Hormuz Sulfur Supply Tightens
SocialMar 23, 2026

Acid Prices Surge as Hormuz Sulfur Supply Tightens

Kamoa-Kakula's #copper smelter is currently producing 1,600 tonnes of high-strength sulphuric acid per day. We are currently selling this acid for between $470/t and $500/t to local mining operations in the DRC Copperbelt that critically need the acid to leach...

By Robert Friedland
First Low‑Carbon Copper Anodes Shipped via Lobito Railway
SocialMar 23, 2026

First Low‑Carbon Copper Anodes Shipped via Lobito Railway

The first batch of 99.7%-pure copper anodes produced by our new smelter at Kamoa-Kakula was recently delivered to the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola. This shipment of anodes was the first to be transported along the Lobito Railway Corridor....

By Robert Friedland
Efficiency Wins Amid Middle East Oil Volatility
SocialMar 23, 2026

Efficiency Wins Amid Middle East Oil Volatility

Chaos in the Middle East is a wake-up call for oil and gas producers. When volatility rises, efficiency becomes the ultimate resource... The real winners are those who can extract oil and gas from wells more effectively and efficiently. This...

By Robert Friedland
Data Centers Demand Massive Copper; Mining Must Scale Up
SocialMar 16, 2026

Data Centers Demand Massive Copper; Mining Must Scale Up

Data centers are already here, and they’re here to stay. They’re only going to get bigger, use vastly more power, and require millions of tonnes of copper at a scale we simply do not have the capacity to mine yet… We...

By Robert Friedland
Industrial Capacity, Not Politics, Drives EV and Security Future
SocialMar 10, 2026

Industrial Capacity, Not Politics, Drives EV and Security Future

@ctindale is spot on. Political will cannot summon industrial reality. EVs & electrification demand a massive new material order: mines, refineries, grids, copper at scale, that takes decades to build, spanning across election cycles. Intention without capacity is illusion. The...

By Robert Friedland
Copper Emerges as Critical Mineral Driving Global Growth
SocialMar 10, 2026

Copper Emerges as Critical Mineral Driving Global Growth

It was a pleasure to talk about ‘The Dawn of the Age of Copper’ at the U.S. Capital Access Forum in Singapore. It’s never easy to follow a keynote from @DonaldJTrumpJr, but copper is always a show-stopper… Many thanks to Hall...

By Robert Friedland
Missile Performance Relies on Critical Scandium Supply
SocialMar 10, 2026

Missile Performance Relies on Critical Scandium Supply

Missiles like the Tomahawk—and the advanced defenses against them—consume vast quantities of critical minerals far beyond just copper. These systems increasingly depend on scandium-aluminum alloys to reduce weight, extend range, and enhance payload performance under extreme conditions. That’s exactly why these are...

By Robert Friedland
Strait Closure Ripple Effects Threaten Sulphur, Copper, Global Markets
SocialMar 5, 2026

Strait Closure Ripple Effects Threaten Sulphur, Copper, Global Markets

Further to what we said about the impact that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has on the sulphur market… and therefore African copper production… Craig Tindale maps out that this is only one small piece of a giant...

By Robert Friedland
Hormuz Shutdown Spikes Sulphur, Hikes African Copper Leaching Costs
SocialMar 2, 2026

Hormuz Shutdown Spikes Sulphur, Hikes African Copper Leaching Costs

The cost of leaching copper oxide ore in the Central African Copperbelt is about to get even more expensive. In the past few days a number of Middle Eastern Oil refineries have been attacked / closed. In addition, exports through...

By Robert Friedland
Copper Shortage Imminent: Prices Set to Hit $15k
SocialMar 1, 2026

Copper Shortage Imminent: Prices Set to Hit $15k

https://t.co/U4SkF1hAbc @UBS boosting its copper price target is just the latest confirmation of what we’ve been warning about for years: the world is flying head-first into a structural copper shortage. A projected $15,000/tonne copper price by 2027… and a half-million-tonne supply deficit...

By Robert Friedland
West's Import Dependence Stems From Financial‑First Economy
SocialFeb 28, 2026

West's Import Dependence Stems From Financial‑First Economy

Visionary investor @ctindale takes on THE big question: How did America and the West become so dependent on imports for almost everything we use? Tindale says the Western focus on the financial economy over the material economy has led to a...

By Robert Friedland