Today's Mining Pulse
Indonesia grants export monopoly to state trader, targeting $66B in resource revenues
Indonesia’s employers association and major mining cartels have endorsed President Prabowo Subianto’s new export monopoly, giving exclusive rights to state‑controlled trader PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI). The policy aims to capture roughly $66.13B in annual resource revenues and curb historic tax leakage estimated at $908B.
Also developing:
From Variability to Control, Molycop's OreVia Platform
Molycop has launched OreVia, a real‑time process characterisation platform that monitors rock, slurry and froth conditions across comminution and flotation circuits. The system gives operators continuous visibility, allowing proactive adjustments to feed strategy, grinding media and froth stability. Deployments report faster detection of ore variability, reduced unplanned downtime and measurable energy‑efficiency gains. Molycop positions OreVia as a digital performance layer that moves mining sites from reactive troubleshooting to data‑driven optimisation.
Grinding Efficiency at the Centre of the Energy Transition
Grinding circuits, which can consume up to 40% of a mine’s electricity, are now a board‑level focus as mining firms chase lower costs and carbon footprints. ABB’s gearless mill drive (GMD) technology replaces traditional gearboxes with a synchronous ring motor,...
Hindustan Zinc Aims to Unlock ₹2,000 Cr in Value Through AI Push
Hindustan Zinc Ltd, part of Vedanta, announced at Zinnovation 2026 that it will pursue an AI‑led transformation worth about ₹2,000 crore (roughly $240 million). The initiative, run with V‑Spark DeepTech Ventures, targets productivity, cost, asset reliability, energy efficiency, safety, recoveries and faster decision‑making...
Velesto Lines up Multi-Well Offshore Rig Job in Southeast Asia
Malaysia’s Velesto Energy has landed a charter contract with Hibiscus Oil & Gas to provide a jack‑up rig for a 2026 offshore drilling campaign. The agreement, Velesto’s first asset‑light arrangement, includes drilling eight plug‑and‑abandonment wells, one exploration well and up...
The Tech Download: Trump's China Visit Left Chip Export Issue Unresolved, with Rare Earths Deal Still Uncertain
President Donald Trump’s May 2026 visit to China, accompanied by top U.S. tech CEOs, failed to address the looming chip export control dispute, leaving Nvidia’s H200 AI chip sales to Chinese firms in limbo. The bilateral talks also left the...
Lithium Americas Sees up to $120M Tariff Hit on Thacker Pass
Lithium Americas disclosed that U.S. steel tariffs, inflation linked to the Iran‑Houthi conflict, and shipping disruptions could increase construction costs at its Thacker Pass lithium project by $80 million to $120 million. The company now projects Phase 1 spending between $1.3 billion and $1.6 billion,...
Lithium Americas Sees up to $120M Tariff Hit on Thacker Pass
Lithium Americas disclosed that U.S. tariffs, fuel-price spikes and Middle‑East‑linked inflation could increase construction costs at its Thacker Pass lithium mine by $80 million to $120 million. The company’s Phase 1 capital estimate now exceeds the original $2.93 billion forecast as it moves toward...
Building a Mine-to-MREC Value Chain From Malawi to Kazakhstan
Lindian Resources, an Australian‑listed miner, announced a vertically integrated mine‑to‑MREC (metal rare‑earth concentrate) value chain that will move rare‑earth ore from its Kangankunde project in Malawi to a new processing facility in Kazakhstan. The plan, detailed at a recent stakeholder...
USA Rare Earth Posts $67 M Loss but Secures $1.6 B US Funding and Brazil Acquisition
USA Rare Earth (USAR) posted a $67 million net loss for Q1 2026 but ended the quarter with $1.75 billion in cash after a $1.5 billion private placement. The company also announced a $300 million acquisition of Brazil’s Serra Verde Group and a pending...
Indonesia’s Nickel Dominance Reshapes Global Supply Outlook
Global nickel output rose 6.1% in 2025, driven almost entirely by Indonesia’s aggressive expansion across sites such as Weda Bay, Gag Island and Morowali. Brazil and Canada added modest gains, while Australia’s production plunged 58.6% and the Philippines saw declines...
Perseus Continues to Progress Tanzania Project to First Gold
Perseus Mining’s 80%-owned Nyanzaga gold project in Tanzania is moving toward first gold production in the first quarter of 2027. Four of the seven carbon‑in‑leach (CIL) tanks have reached full height and the original‑equipment‑manufacturer has begun mill installation. The camp...
UAE Speeds Up Pipeline Project to Help Bypass Hormuz
The United Arab Emirates has ordered the fast‑track construction of the West‑East oil pipeline, aiming to double its Fujairah export capacity by 2027 and provide a reliable bypass of the Strait of Hormuz. Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin...
Caturus Takes FID on Commonwealth LNG Project in Louisiana
Caturus announced a final investment decision for its Commonwealth LNG export project in Louisiana after securing $9.75 billion in project financing. The total capital commitments now stand at $21.25 billion for a 9.5 million‑tonne‑per‑annum facility slated to start operations in 2030. Long‑term offtake...
Nigeria: Nigeria's Mining Data Exists Online, but Communities Most Affected Cannot Access It
Nigeria’s mining oversight is digitized, yet rural communities near Shiroro cannot access the online licensing and environmental data. Residents of Ajata Aboki and Farin Doki see the Onato stream polluted by artisanal and possibly foreign gold mining, yet they cannot identify operators...
Resolution on First Hole in Campaign to Define Scale of Golden Gate Tungsten and Gold
Resolution Minerals has begun the first hole of a 13,700‑meter diamond core drilling campaign at its Golden Gate project in Idaho, aiming to delineate the extent of gold and tungsten mineralisation across up to 45 holes. The program follows encouraging...
Clean TeQ Water Wins Rasp Mine Tailings Dewatering Plant Contract From Broken Hill Mines
Clean TeQ Water has been awarded a design‑and‑construct contract by Broken Hill Operations to build a 750,000‑tonne‑per‑year ATA tailings dewatering plant at the Rasp Mine in New South Wales. The plant will replace higher‑cost solar drying, enabling the mine to...
U.S. Secures Long‑Term Cobalt Supply From Congo, Arizona Refinery Plans Advance
EVelution Energy LLC, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s state‑owned Enterprise Générale du Cobalt and commodity trader Trafigura signed a memorandum of understanding in Madrid to channel Congolese cobalt hydroxide to a new U.S. refinery. The project aims to meet roughly...
Congo Mobilizes Global Partners to Clamp Down on Illegal Cobalt Mining
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s state cobalt agency, Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC), has launched a coordinated crackdown on illegal hand‑mined cobalt, partnering with multinational miners to allocate designated “squares” for artisanal cooperatives. The move aims to improve safety, protect...
India and China Double Down on Coal Consumption
China accelerated its coal rollout in 2025, commissioning more than 50 large‑scale units—each 1 GW or larger—far outpacing the sub‑20 units typical of the previous decade. The surge reflects a wave of new coal mines coming online, underscoring Beijing’s continued reliance...
Canadian-Owned Lithium Mines in Nevada Violate Indigenous Rights: Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s May 12 report says three Nevada lithium projects – Thacker Pass, Nevada North and Rhyolite Ridge – violate Indigenous rights by failing to secure Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). Two of the mines are backed by Canadian firms,...
Ariana Grows Dokwe Footprint as Drilling Extends Gold Beyond Resource Boundary
Ariana Resources announced that recent reverse‑circulation (RC) drilling at its Dokwe gold project in Zimbabwe has pushed gold mineralisation at Dokwe North more than 150 m beyond the current resource envelope and remains open along strike. The best intercepts include 22 m...
Found Industries Aims to Strengthen America’s Industrial Supply Chains
Found Industries, originally founded as Found Energy, is launching a new division called Found Metals to extract the critical metal gallium from aluminum refinery streams. The move addresses U.S. reliance on China, which supplied 99% of global gallium in 2024,...
Hormuz Oil Flows Creep Higher as More Supertankers Exit
The number of supertankers exiting the Strait of Hormuz has risen, with four VLCCs—each carrying roughly 2 million barrels—departing since May 10, approaching a flow of about 2 million barrels per day. This is a modest increase compared with pre‑war traffic of roughly...
Anglo American’s ‘Digital Mine’ Claims Challenged in New Peru Report
Anglo American’s flagship Quellaveco copper project in Peru is billed as a ‘digital mine’ that uses real‑time sensors, AI analytics and autonomous equipment to boost efficiency and cut environmental impact. A new NGO‑led report challenges those claims, highlighting gaps in...
This Driverless Chinese Mining Truck Is Giant, Agile, and Shows the Industrial Future of AI
The Shuanglin K7 is a 45‑foot‑long, 110‑ton autonomous mining truck that boasts Level‑4 AI, allowing it to operate without a human driver. Its drive‑by‑wire system lets each wheel act independently, enabling 360° rotation and crab‑style lateral movement. Developers Shuanglin Group...
Ecuador on Cusp of Chinese-Driven Mining Boom
Chinese mining giant Jiangxi Copper Corp completed a $1.2 billion acquisition of SolGold, taking full control of Ecuador’s Cascabel copper project. The mine, slated to become the world’s largest underground silver, third‑largest gold and sixth‑largest copper operation, could move toward construction...
Bikita Minerals Resumes Concentrate Exports After Securing Licence, Advances US$400 Million Lithium Sulphate Plant
Bikita Minerals has resumed exporting lithium concentrate after obtaining an export licence from Zimbabwe's Ministry of Mines, confirming full compliance with the new regulatory framework. The company is also advancing a $400 million lithium‑sulphate processing plant, aiming to complete it before...
Discovery to Acquire Glencore's Kidd Operations in $1.2 B Deal, Boosting Canadian Gold Capacity
Discovery Corp. disclosed an agreement to purchase Glencore’s Kidd gold operations for roughly $1.2 billion, a move that could double its annual output and add strategic mineral assets. The deal follows strong Q1 earnings and comes as other Canadian miners, like...
Can Helium-3 Create a ‘Gold Rush’ on the Moon?
Helium‑3, a rare isotope prized for quantum‑computing cooling, advanced medical imaging, and potential fusion fuel, is abundant on the lunar surface where solar wind implants it in ilmenite‑rich regolith. Scientists estimate up to a billion kilograms could be harvested, sparking...
Master Drilling Commissions First Remote Drilling System in Canada
Master Drilling has commissioned its first remote drilling system in Canada at Agnico Eagle’s Odyssey Mine in Quebec. The RD7 machine, mounted on a 65‑ton rig, drilled a 220‑meter hole using a 5.5‑meter reamer, all controlled from a surface control...
Permian Gas Glut Means Producers Are Paying Buyers to Haul It Away
The Permian Basin is experiencing a severe natural‑gas glut, pushing spot prices to a record low of –$9.60 per MMBtu and even forcing producers to pay buyers to take the gas. Companies such as Diamondback Energy and EQT have curtailed...
Mine Restarts Support West Africa’s Gold Recovery in 2026
Mine operators across West Africa are restarting previously idle gold mines, a move set to boost regional output as early as 2026. Ghana, still the continent’s top gold producer, will lead the rebound, supported by the reopening of the Obuasi...
MOBX to Acquire U.S. Defense Rare Earth, Critical Minerals Company
Mobix Labs (Nasdaq: MOBX) announced a non‑binding Letter of Intent to acquire Special Project Delivery LLC, a U.S. firm that builds sovereign supply chains for rare earth elements, critical minerals and energy‑storage materials. The deal would extend Mobix’s existing national‑security...
Endurance Reports Drilling Underway at Reliance Gold Project and Second Rig Mobilized
Endurance Gold Corp. has begun drilling at its wholly‑owned Reliance Gold Project in southern British Columbia, launching an 8,000‑metre diamond program on May 1. A second drill rig is being mobilized to speed up testing of the Eagle and Imperial zones,...
Ramaco’s Brook Mine Opens in Wyoming, First New U.S. Rare‑Earth Project in 70 Years
Ramaco Resources has opened the Brook rare‑earth mine in Wyoming, the first new U.S. rare‑earth operation in more than seven decades. The project, part of a broader critical‑minerals strategy, targets pilot‑plant production by 2027 and seeks to shore up domestic...
Titan, Teck Seek Germanium From Zinc Tailings
Titan Mining (NYSE: TII) and Teck Resources (NYSE: TECK) have signed a cooperation agreement to extract up to 13,000 kg of germanium per year from Titan’s Empire State zinc mine in New York. At current market prices of $5,800‑$8,600 per kilogram, the...
Elemental Royalty to Buy Vizsla Royalties in $239M Deal
Elemental Royalty announced a $239 million acquisition of Vizsla Royalties, offering a 31% premium and a mix of cash and Elemental shares. The deal secures a 2‑3.5% uncapped net smelter return royalty on Vizsla’s Panuco silver‑gold project in Jalisco, which is...
Mantle8 Secures €31 Million Series A to Commercialize Natural Hydrogen
Mantle8 announced a €31 million ($34 million) Series A round led by Sandwater, with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bpifrance, IP Group, Wind Capital and Calderion. The funding will finance a two‑year global drilling campaign to prove commercial natural hydrogen reservoirs, a move...
Larvotto Completes Metallurgical Testwork of Hillgrove Tailings
Larvotto Resources completed initial metallurgical flotation tests on the Hillgrove Antimony‑Gold Project’s legacy tailings in New South Wales. The tests recovered 80‑95% of antimony and 40‑75% of gold, matching the flotation process slated for the plant restart in August 2026....
Norwegian Oil & Gas Cash Flow Surpasses $74 Billion as Investment Bill Hits $30.71B
Norway’s petroleum sector generated a net cash flow of roughly $74.4 billion in 2026, up from $72.0 billion in 2025. Oil production hit 107 million standard cubic meters of oil equivalents, the strongest level since 2009, while total output on the Norwegian Continental...
JP Morgan Warns Oil Could Average $151 in Q4
J.P. Morgan’s commodities strategists project that if the Strait of Hormuz reopens on September 1, Brent crude could average $151 per barrel in Q4 2026, the highest level across all reopening scenarios. Their base‑case June 1 scenario still sees Brent near $98...
Uranium Supply Gains Momentum as Nuclear Energy Returns to the Spotlight
Global uranium production rose 6.1% in 2025, with Kazakhstan accounting for 39% of supply and the United States more than quadrupling output to 1,316 tonnes. The U.S. Department of Energy added uranium to the 2025 Critical Minerals list, signaling heightened policy...
Mining the Past: Lithium's New Frontier in Secondary Sources
A quiet decision by Chilean waste‑management firm Quiborax could reshape the lithium supply chain by targeting discarded mining waste instead of fresh ore. The move leverages the LieNa processing technology, co‑developed by Australia’s Lithium Australia and the Australian Nuclear Science...
Rare‑Earth Maps Updated to Show Greenland, Shifting Global Supply Outlook
Rare‑earth deposit maps have been revised to feature Greenland’s resources, expanding the view of critical mineral supplies beyond China. The update highlights a growing network of projects in Australia, Canada and Tanzania, and raises questions about how quickly governments will...
Rare Earths Are on Trump’s Agenda in China. But US Electronic Waste Offers an Untapped Source at Home
The United States remains heavily dependent on China for rare earth minerals and permanent magnets, a vulnerability highlighted during President Trump’s recent talks with President Xi. The Department of Energy projects demand for neodymium magnets could reach 37,000 tonnes by 2030,...
Sitka Updates Rhosgobel Resource Estimate
Sitka Gold Corp. updated the Rhosgobel resource at its RC Gold project, confirming 2.25 million ounces of inferred gold and adding 2.93 million ounces of inferred silver plus about 51,000 metric tons of tungsten trioxide. The estimate draws on 72 drill holes, including...
Premier Raises Fresh $1M as Zulu Lithium Plant Enters Critical Hot Commissioning Phase
Premier African Minerals announced a £1 million ($1.3 M) equity subscription at 0.0185 pence per share, bringing total issued shares above 30 billion. The company completed cold commissioning of its new Xinhai flotation plant at the Zulu Lithium project, running water through the circuit...
Li-FT Drills More Lithium at BIG East
Li‑FT Power released first winter drilling results from BIG East, the largest deposit in its Yellowknife Lithium Project. The 17‑hole, 4,778 m program intersected multiple spodumene zones, notably a 26 m interval averaging 1.29% Li₂O and a 17 m sub‑interval at 1.65% Li₂O, confirming...
Lithium Revenue Jumps 106% on Just 2% More Output, Ban Justified as Pre-Ban Mining Hit 4,300 Tonnes/Day
Zimbabwe's Minerals Marketing Corporation reported a 106% jump in lithium revenue to $178.6 million in Q1 2026, despite only a 2% increase in tonnage. The surge came after a February export ban, which revealed a daily extraction rate of 4,300 tonnes—72% higher than...
Looking For Oil in All the Wrong Places
Australia’s government launched an April diplomatic tour of East and Southeast Asia to secure diesel, petrol and fertilizer from Malaysia, Brunei, South Korea and Singapore. The pledges proved superficial: Malaysia said the diesel was merely stored fuel, Singapore cannot command...