Today's Mining Pulse
Chinese financing fuels a $98 billion mineral power shift
A wave of $98 billion in Chinese financing and heightened U.S. diplomatic activity has thrust critical minerals into the geopolitical spotlight. Resource‑rich nations such as the DRC, Brazil and Zambia are leveraging their mineral wealth to negotiate better terms and assert greater control over strategic industries.
Also developing:
Russian Arctic LNG Tankers Keep Red Sea Route Despite Middle East Turmoil
Russia’s Arctic LNG shadow fleet continues to transit the Red Sea corridor despite heightened Middle‑East tensions, using the shortcut to reach Asian markets. At least seven ice‑class and conventional carriers have been tracked moving through the Bab el‑Mandeb and Suez Canal, contrasting with Western‑aligned lines that are diverting around the Cape of Good Hope. The route saves 10‑15 days of sailing time, crucial for Novatek’s limited pool of LNG tankers. China’s Beihai terminal remains the sole confirmed buyer for Arctic LNG‑2 cargoes, keeping the trade flow intact.
Talon Takes Over Lundin’s Michigan Eagle Mine, Humboldt Mill
Talon acquires Lundin’s US Ni, Cu subsidiary, taking Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill in Michigan. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/talon-acquires-lundins-us-ni-cu.html
Challenger Gold Begins Ore Transport to Casposo Plant in Argentina
Challenger Gold has begun moving ore from its Hualilán Mine to the Casposo Plant in San Juan, Argentina, starting at roughly 500 tonnes per day. The transport rate will double to about 1,000 tpd once day‑and‑night shifts commence. Hualilán’s initial mineral resource...
Rio Tinto Gives Green Light to RBM’s $473m Zulti South
Rio Tinto approved a $473 million expansion of its 74%‑owned Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) to develop the Zulti South project, ending a six‑year suspension caused by community unrest and empowerment‑partner issues. Construction, led by China Harbour Engineering Company, will begin this...
EGA Expands Hanover Facility, Doubling Scrap Processing by 2028
EGA expands Leichtmetall in Hanover, boosting sorting and melting capacity for post-consumer scrap by 2028. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/ega-leichtmetall-recycling-expansion.html
Designing Polyethyleneimine‐Based Electrospun Fibers via Hydrogen Bonding Reconstruction for Enhanced Uranium Extraction From Seawater
Researchers have engineered a branched-linear electrospun fiber (PAN-bPEI-T/PVA) that combines hyper-branched polyethyleneimine with linear triethylenetetramine to harvest uranium from seawater. The fiber achieves a record uptake capacity of 806.4 mg U g⁻¹, more than 2.5 × the performance of conventional bPEI fibers, and maintains...
Yimin Coal Mine: What 100 AI-Driven Electric Trucks Taught the Mining Sector
In May 2025 the Yimin coal mine in Inner Mongolia launched a fleet of 100 AI‑driven, electric trucks equipped with 5G‑Advanced connectivity. The trucks use 568 kWh lithium‑iron‑phosphate batteries and automated swapping stations that replace packs in about five minutes with a 98 %...
Resources Top 5: Goldies Glitter as Safe-Haven Status Strengthens
Gold prices surged to nearly US$5,400 an ounce, driven by escalating Middle East tensions, reinforcing the metal's safe‑haven appeal. The rally lifted several junior miners, with Catalina Resources posting a 48‑metre, 2.61 g/t assay that sent its share price up 60%...
Beyond Reactors: The Full Fuel Cycle Investment Needed for a Nuclear Future
Nuclear power’s resurgence in the United States hinges on more than reactor designs; a fully domestic fuel cycle is essential for sustainable growth. The nation currently depends heavily on imported uranium, especially from Russia, prompting the 2024 Prohibiting Russian Uranium...
Advanced Navigation Launches Chimera Land Laser Navigation System for Mining
Advanced Navigation has introduced Chimera Land, a 3D laser velocity sensor system that delivers high‑precision vehicle positioning in deep underground mines where GPS signals are unavailable. The self‑contained solution integrates with the company’s Boreas D90 inertial navigation system and AdNav Intelligence...
Lynas Malaysia Licence Renewed for Another Decade
Lynas Rare Earths’ processing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia, has secured a ten‑year operating licence renewal from the Malaysian Department of Atomic Energy. The extension guarantees the continued production of rare‑earth oxides used in electronics, renewable‑energy technologies, and defense applications. It...
Trimet Adds Scrap Hall, Boosts Aluminium Recycling by 16,000 T/Yr
Trimet expands Essen with a new scrap hall, lifting Trimet aluminium recycling capacity by about 16,000 t/yr. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/trimet-aluminium-recycling-capacity.html
Aussie Gold Miners Gain $7B After US‑Israel Strikes
Top ten Aussie gold miners add approximately $7b of value after US-Israel missile strikes on Iran https://t.co/MIKqSU1r1w
Waratah Minerals Grows Spur and Consols Gold Zones, Results Point to Major System
Waratah Minerals reported significant drill intercepts that expanded both the Spur and Consols gold zones within its NSW Macquarie Arc project. Highlights include a 74‑metre interval grading 1.6 g/t Au, with higher‑grade sub‑sections, and a spectacular 1.65‑metre hit of 45.27 g/t Au...
Glencore Celebrates ‘Integral’ Coal Leader Following Retirement Announcement
Glencore announced that its long‑time coal chief executive Ian Cribb will retire at the end of March, ending a 30‑year tenure that saw the business expand from a single mine to Australia’s largest coal producer with 13 active sites. Cribb...
EU Approves German Recycling Yard
The European Commission has approved the 15th edition of the European List of Ship Recycling Facilities, adding Germany’s Emden yard as the first German facility. The list now comprises 41 approved recyclers, including sites in Europe, Türkiye and the United...
South Australia Soars in Global Mining Attractiveness Rankings
South Australia vaulted to fourth place in the Fraser Institute’s 2025 mining attractiveness rankings, up from 35th a year earlier, after its Investment Attractiveness Index rose 26 points. The state also secured the top global spot for mineral potential, driven...
China’s Oil Buying Spree May Be Running Out of Steam
China’s oil imports reached a record 11.55 million barrels per day in 2025, a 4.4% increase over the prior year, driven by aggressive stockpiling and expanded storage capacity. While the country continues to buy discounted Russian crude and benefits from Saudi...
Iran Conflict Creates Opportunity and Risk for Australian Grain
Escalating conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States has forced the Strait of Hormuz shut, pushing crude oil prices up 8‑10% and reverberating through agricultural markets. Higher energy costs raise nitrogen fertilizer prices and boost biofuel demand, tightening grain...
Space Station Experiment Shows Microbes Can Mine Valuable Metals In Orbit
Researchers aboard the International Space Station grew the fungus Penicillium simplicissimum with powdered meteorite and recovered measurable palladium, marking the first successful orbital biomining of a precious metal. The fungal cultures outperformed a bacterial counterpart, extracting 18 of 44 measured...
EPS Boosts VLCC Series with Two More Hengli Newbuilds
Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has placed two additional 306,000 dwt VLCC orders with China’s Hengli Shipbuilding, expanding its fleet to ten VLCCs at the yard. The vessels are part of a five‑ship order slated for delivery in 2029‑2030, completing a broader...
Middle Eastern Oil Giants Accelerate Multibillion-Dollar Clean Energy Push
Middle Eastern oil powerhouses, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are accelerating multibillion‑dollar clean‑energy programs that span solar, wind, nuclear, and green‑hydrogen. The region’s renewable capacity is set to surge, with solar projected to grow ten‑fold and nuclear output...
KMTC Tied to Six HD Hyundai Boxships
Korea Marine Transport Co (KMTC) has placed a KRW 372.4 bn ($258 m) order for six 1,800‑TEU feeder containerships with HD Hyundai shipyards. The vessels are scheduled for delivery between August 2027 and June 2028, adding to KMTC’s fleet of more than 60 ships that...
Osisko’s Gaspé Revamp Ties History to Copper’s Surge
Osisko Metals is spearheading the revival of Quebec’s historic Gaspé copper mine, the largest undeveloped copper resource east of the Mississippi. The company, which acquired the property from Glencore for $45 million, expects a resource update by March 31 and a preliminary...
Sprott Invests $17M in American Eagle for 9.9% Stake
Canadian billionaire Eric Sprott has invested C$23 million (≈ $16.8 million) for a 9.9 % equity stake in British Columbia‑focused junior American Eagle Gold. The deal, executed at C$1.20 per share, pushes the company's market capitalization to roughly C$163 million and brings its cash balance...
Quick Iran Conflict Could Cap Gold and Oil Gains
US-Israel Invasion of Iran May Cap Crude and Gold - Gold and crude oil may show signs of peaking if the conflict is quick and infrastructure isn't impaired. Both were up about 20% in 2026 before Feb. 28. If typical swift...
Japan Pledges to Invest $36 Billion in U.S. Oil, Gas, and Mineral Projects. Here Are 2 Stocks That Could Soar...
Japan announced a $36 billion investment in the United States as the first phase of a broader $550 billion partnership, with most of the capital earmarked for a 9.2‑gigawatt natural‑gas‑fired power plant in Ohio. The project aims to address rising electricity demand...
Nickel Asia Diversifies Into Geothermal, Overseas Investments
Nickel Asia Corp (NAC) posted a 312% jump in net income to ₱6.27 billion, driven by record nickel ore prices and a 56% rise in EBITDA. The company announced three new wholly‑owned subsidiaries to support a geothermal holding entity, a shared‑services...
Chokepoints Under Pressure: When Geography and Conflict Strain the Arteries of Global Trade
The article highlights how simultaneous geopolitical tensions at the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, and Pakistan’s Arabian Sea threaten global maritime trade. Iranian Revolutionary Guard warnings triggered tanker stand‑offs, navigation interference, and a surge in war‑risk insurance premiums, while...
The Minerals of War: Criticality in an Age of AI and Artillery
The article expands the "mineral imperative" concept, arguing that global demand for metals and critical minerals must roughly double by 2050 to sustain development, decarbonisation, digitalisation and now defence. While population growth, urbanisation, electrification and AI have already driven material...
The Power of Cities over the Seas
Cities are emerging as powerful actors in ocean governance, using port regulations, municipal procurement, and data tools to shape maritime behavior. Port clean‑air initiatives in Los Angeles and Long Beach have forced shipping lines toward lower‑emission fuels and shore power. Municipal buyers...
Qatar March Sulphur Price Announcement Postponed
State‑owned QatarEnergy Marketing postponed its March Qatar Sulphur Price (QSP) announcement to 4 March, citing recent geopolitical developments. February’s QSP was set at $520 per tonne FOB, a modest $3 increase from January. The delay follows the US‑Israeli strike on Iran,...
UK Court Blocks Appeal, Trafigura Pursues $700M Recovery
Trafigura nickel fraud case advances as UK court blocks appeal and Trafigura seeks $700mn recovery. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/trafigura-nickel-fraud-case-trader-to.html
Andaman Oil Exploration May Propel India Towards $20 Trillion Economy: Lt Governor Joshi
India’s Andaman Basin is seeing a major push in oil exploration after 63.5% of the 600,000‑sq‑km no‑go zone was cleared for drilling, a move Lieutenant Governor Admiral D.K. Joshi says could help lift the country from its current $4 trillion GDP...
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...
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...
Botswana Advances Copper Beneficiation with Planned Khoemacau Refinery Study
Botswana’s government announced a feasibility study to assess a copper refinery linked to MMG’s Khoemacau expansion. The mine has already shipped about 587,000 tonnes of copper concentrate, containing roughly 177,000 tonnes of copper, and aims to boost concentrate output to...
KCM Charts a New Era of Investment, Modernisation and Growth
Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has poured roughly $600 million into its Zambian operations since Vedanta Resources returned, prioritising underground development, infrastructure rehabilitation and AI‑driven safety systems. The capital injection has created more than 2,000 jobs, expanding the workforce to over 14,000...
Zambia Strengthens Energy Security with Approval of Two Strategic Cross-Border Pipelines
Zambia’s cabinet approved two cross‑border pipelines—the Tanzania‑Zambia Multi‑Products Pipeline and the Namibia‑Zambia Refined Petroleum and Natural Gas Pipeline—to diversify fuel imports and reduce reliance on the decades‑old TAZAMA line. The projects aim to create supply redundancy, improve pricing competitiveness, and...
QazMoly Nears $240M US Funding for Tungsten Project in Kazakhstan
Kazakh miner QazMoly is close to securing up to $240 million from the U.S. Export‑Import Bank to fund its Drozhilov tungsten project, provided all output is sold to U.S. buyers. The financing would cover a large share of the mine’s capital...
Gold to Surge After U.S. Strike on Iran
A U.S. and Israeli strike on Iran broke over the weekend, prompting immediate reactions in precious‑metal markets. Because traditional markets are closed, the first price signal came from crypto‑linked gold tokens, with Tether Gold jumping 1.57% to about $5,341 per...
Hormuz Traffic Slows After Strike On Iran
Oil tankers are increasingly bypassing the Strait of Hormuz following the US and Israel airstrikes on Iran, prompting major shipping lines to issue cautionary directives. While the waterway remains officially open, Bloomberg tracking shows a buildup of idle vessels both...
Rwanda Opens New Mining Blocks to Boost Investment in Strategic Minerals
Rwanda’s mining authority has opened a second tranche of ten exploration blocks covering tin, tantalum, tungsten, lithium, beryllium and gemstones. The government expects more than 70 applications, aiming to double the interest seen in the 2025 round. Investors must register...
DRC’s Cobalt Quotas Reshape the Global Critical Metals Market
The Democratic Republic of the Congo announced strict cobalt export quotas—18,125 tonnes for Q4 2025 and 96,600 tonnes for 2026—while reserving 10% of production as a strategic stockpile. The policy, aimed at curbing smuggling, stabilising prices and capturing more domestic value,...
Poland Cuts Copper Tax, KGHM Eyes 2026 Output Boost
Poland’s KGHM targets higher copper output in 2026 as Poland cuts its copper extraction tax from January. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/02/polands-kghm-targets-higher-copper.html
Record US Crude Exports Threaten Brent Price Rally
Is Crude Oil Becoming a Rally to Sell? US crude and liquid fuel net exports approaching 4 million barrels a day in 2026 -- the highest ever -- may be a primary price-pressure factor for oil. My graphic shows an annual...
SCCL Likely to Bid for Coal Bed Methane in Singareni
Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL) is preparing to bid in upcoming coal‑bed methane (CBM) auctions for three blocks in the Singareni region. The blocks, covering six districts in Telangana, hold an estimated 1.9 billion cubic metres of gas resources. Government officials have...
Iran’s Oil, Gas, Power Sectors Summarized in One File
💥Here is a comprehensive but condensed file on energy sources in Iran, covering its oil, gas, and power sectors, including several charts. Click the link, then switch the language in your browser.👇
Q2Metals Hits All‑time High in Lithium Exploration
Check out our latest #RockStockRecap + update with the lithium industry’s most exciting spodumene exploration story @Q2Metals which closed yesterday at an all-time high. $QTWO.V 👇👇
Recapping a Coast‑to‑Coast Lithium Tour in Podcast
Sun coming up on a redeye home from Reno after a long #lithium week stretching from meetings with investors & producers in south Florida to northern Nevada to see Thacker Pass. Will do a solo podcast to recap what I...