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:
‘True Success’ Is a DRC that No Longer Needs Outside Help: Interview with EU Envoy Fabrice Basile
EU envoy Fabrice Basile told Mongabay that the Democratic Republic of Congo is moving toward self‑reliance in managing its vast mineral and forest assets. The EU is backing transparency initiatives, including a €12 million ($14 million) PanAfGeo+ Invest program to digitise geological data and certify mineral origins. Projects such as the “Green Corridor” linking the Kivu region to Kinshasa and renewable‑energy upgrades in Virunga National Park aim to create jobs, improve trade, and reduce reliance on armed groups. Basile emphasizes that lasting peace hinges on governance reforms, local processing, and the EU’s “Everything But Arms” duty‑free market access.
Up to $9B Nearshore Project on Arctic’s Horizon with Polar LNG Unleashing Alaska’s Gas
Polar LNG announced a near‑shore liquefied natural gas project on Alaska’s North Slope, budgeting $8‑9 billion to produce up to 7 million tons per annum of LNG, with a potential expansion to 21 mtpa. The modular, gravity‑based facility will draw gas from existing...
Galleon Gold Completes Box Cut Excavation at West Cache Project
Galleon Gold announced the successful completion of the box cut excavation at its 100%-owned West Cache Gold Project near Timmins, Ontario. The excavation exposed the bedrock face, with walls built to a 4:1 slope and armoring now underway to stabilize...
PH7 Technologies Receives Funding From the National Research Council of Canada to Expand Opertions
Vancouver‑based pH7 Technologies is expanding its metals‑processing plant with up to $4 million in NRC IRAP funding to scale recovery of platinum‑group metals and other critical elements. The expansion will boost capacity for spent catalysts and electronic waste, while the company’s modular...
Senator to File Bill Ending Morocco Duties: Correction
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R‑Kansas) will introduce the Lowering of Input Costs for American Farmers Act, which would eliminate countervailing duties on phosphate imports from Morocco. The move aims to cut phosphate fertilizer prices by more than 20%, roughly $150...
Adani’s Giant Copper Plant Hit by Technical Woes in First Year
Billionaire Gautam Adani’s $1.2 billion Kutch copper plant, commissioned ten months ago, has struggled with engineering setbacks that have kept it far below its 500,000‑tonne annual capacity. From April 2023 to February 2024 the facility produced only 94,000 tons of refined copper,...
Brazilian State Greenlights Deforestation for Contested Open-Pit Gold Mine
The Brazilian state of Pará approved Canadian miner Belo Sun to clear roughly 600 hectares of rainforest for an open‑pit gold mine along the Xingu River. Indigenous groups and federal prosecutors are contesting the decision, arguing the state lacks authority and...
Neotech Signs Agreement for Torrance Project Acquisition
Neotech Metals has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the Torrance Project from Kenorland Minerals, adding 580 mining claims spanning roughly 12,270 ha in Ontario’s Kapuskasing Structural Zone. The carbonatite-hosted site shows potential for niobium‑tantalum‑rare earth mineralisation and sits near...
Americore Raising up to $3.0 Million for Nevada Silver Drilling
Americore Resources Corp. announced a non‑brokered private placement to raise up to $3 million by issuing up to 6 million units at $0.50 each. Each unit contains one common share and a warrant allowing purchase of an additional share at $0.80 for...
LaFleur Signs Agreement to Acquire McKenzie East in Canada
Canadian junior LaFleur Minerals has signed an arm‑length agreement to acquire the McKenzie East Gold Project in Québec’s Val‑d’Or district. The deal includes a C$30,000 (≈US$21,960) cash payment and the issuance of 175,000 LaFleur common shares to the vendor. The...
Subsea7, OneSubsea Chosen for FEED at Canadian $12 Billion Oil Project
Subsea Integration Alliance, the joint venture of SLB OneSubsea and Subsea7, secured a front‑end engineering design (FEED) contract from Equinor for the Bay du Nord deep‑water oil project off Canada. Valued at roughly $12 billion, the project sits in the Flemish...
OMV Petrom Raises Annual Budget by 23 Percent
OMV Petrom shareholders approved a $2.07 billion capex plan for 2026, a 23% increase over 2025. About 60% of the budget targets the Neptun Deep offshore gas project, which could cost up to $4.68 billion and hold roughly 100 billion cubic meters of recoverable...
Ghana Cedi Volatility Linked to Extractive Sector Leakages as Gold Board Posts $455 M Surplus
Joe Jackson, CEO of Dalex Finance, warned that Ghana’s cedi volatility is driven by foreign‑exchange leakages in mining and oil rather than weak exports. The Ghana Gold Board’s 2025 surplus of GH₵5.46 bn (≈$455 m) underscores the sector’s growing fiscal weight, while...
Iran-Israel Conflict Sends Brent to $111, EU Faces $600 M Daily Energy Aid Loss
The Iran‑Israel war has pushed Brent crude up 2.8% to $111.26 a barrel, while the European Union now incurs roughly $600 million in daily energy‑aid losses. EU leaders warn the surge could echo past crises and demand tighter targeting of aid.
Volvo Penta – Powering up Underground
Volvo Penta now commands over 30% of the underground mining engine market, a share earned through deep collaboration with OEMs such as Sandvik and fast‑growing Chinese manufacturers. The company has customized Stage V engines for load‑haul‑dump (LHD) machines, trucks and utility...
Critical Elements Posts Assays From Rose West 10,000-Metre Drill Program, Quebec
Critical Elements Lithium Corp. announced assay results from its Phase 1 Winter 2026 drill program at the 100%-owned Rose West discovery in Quebec. The drilling expanded the mineralized footprint to roughly 1,250 m × 800 m and intersected three new spodumene‑bearing pegmatite bodies with Li₂O grades...
Another LNG Gig in Lone Star State Lands on Honeywell’s Plate
Honeywell has been selected by Lantern LNG Holding Company to supply end‑to‑end technology and automation for a new near‑shore LNG facility in Matagorda Bay, Texas. The project will produce roughly 12 million tons per annum of LNG across three 4‑mtpa trains,...
Aluminum Replaces Copper, BESS Powers Fast EV Charging
I visited Solar & Storage Live in London today. Two major takeaways: (1) We are starting to see substantial substitution from Cu->Al in med voltage cables; (2) There are some really interesting solutions coming to market. One that caught my...
Cabral Gold Advances Construction of Cuiú Cuiú Project, Brazil
Cabral Gold reported that Phase 1 of its gold‑in‑oxide heap‑leach project at Cuiú Cuiú in Brazil is about 70% complete and remains on budget. Critical equipment, including the ADR plant and mineral sizer, is in maritime transit and slated to arrive by...
Why the Ideal Magnet Remains Out of Reach
Researchers worldwide seek a cost‑effective permanent magnet that avoids rare earths, a goal that would break China’s near‑monopoly and reshape supply chains. After a decade of classical computing attempts, a Franco‑American team led by Alice & Bob, backed by a $3.9 million...
White Smoke for an EU-US Mineral Deal
After years of talks, the EU and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding and a Joint Action Plan on critical minerals, introducing a border‑adjusted price floor and rapid‑response mechanisms aimed at curbing China’s market dominance. The agreement also...
Alphamin Posts Record Tin Profit, Boosts Dividend
Alphamin Resources reported a record quarterly EBITDA of $158 million, a 46% increase from the prior period, as tin prices stayed strong and production rose to 5,026 tonnes. The company lifted its final 2025 dividend to 13 CAD cents per share and added...
Kodiak, Teck to Create Arizona Copper Explorer
Kodiak Copper and Teck Resources are launching Kay Copper, a new listed explorer, to develop the early‑stage Mohave and Copper Hill projects in Arizona. Kay Copper will raise roughly $2.96 million USD via $0.25 subscription receipts and about $614,000 USD through...
Why Smart Money Is Quietly Piling Into This Lithium Stock
The U.S. Department of Energy has taken a 5% equity stake in Lithium Americas and secured a matching economic interest in the Thacker Pass joint venture, aligning federal policy with the project’s success. The company is financing its $1.3‑$1.6 billion 2026...
Woodside Firing on All Cylinders to Advance Australian Gas Project, Mexican Oil Development, and US LNG Terminal
Woodside Energy is accelerating three flagship projects across three continents. The offshore Scarborough LNG facility in Australia is 96% complete and on track for its first cargo in Q4 2026. In Mexico, the Trion oil development has reached 56% completion, targeting...
Brent $120+ Needed to Hit 2005 Energy Index High
This Year May Test a Top Force in Energy - Elasticity If Brent crude oil can stay above $120 a barrel, the Bloomberg Energy Spot Index may top 2005's high. Both outcomes appear unlikely absent something very bad happening in the...
Energy Surge May Trigger Deflation, Crude Prices Collapse
Energy Surge Can Be a Lose-Lose for Crude Prices Spiking diesel, gasoline and natural gas prices, particularly in Europe and Asia, are curbing demand, and it's a question of magnitude and duration. My top takeaway from the energy crisis is that...
Liberia: Ex-Mines Minister Paye Challenges VP Koung Over Conflicting Concession Remarks
Former Mines and Energy Minister Wilmot Paye publicly challenged Vice President Jeremiah Koung’s remarks that reviewing Liberia’s mining concessions would deter foreign investment. Paye reiterated President Joseph Boakai’s unequivocal stance to reassess all existing agreements, citing cabinet directives and the...
Metals May Have Peaked in 2026, Silver Risks Reversal
May Metals Outlook - 2026 High-Price Cure Can Endure for Years - Gold, Silver Historically, metals -- the best-performing commodities sector -- may have reached an up-too-much plateau in 2026. Silver is on the cusp of turning a roughly 70% 1Q...
Rice Prices Hit 19-Year Low, Farmers Need Support
Again, wholesale rice prices below pre-war levels (fully reversing a mini panic move earlier in April). On a monthly average basis, rice isn't far away from its lowest level in 19 years. For Asian nations, the problem is that rice is...
Macquarie Strategists Predict USA Crude Inventory Drop
Macquarie strategists forecast U.S. crude inventories will drop by 2.0 million barrels for the week ending April 24, following a 1.9 million‑barrel build the prior week. The model also anticipates a sizable 7.1 million‑barrel draw from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and modest increases in...
Refinery Jet and Diesel Peaks Cut Other Outputs, Prices Rise
When oil refineries go "max" jet and "max" diesel, they (necessarily) also reduce output of other products. The market is starting to price it.
Rare‑Earth Mine Runoff Threatens Mekong Basin, Endangering $10 Billion Rice Export Industry
Upstream rare‑earth mining in Myanmar and Laos is releasing arsenic, mercury, lead and cadmium into Mekong tributaries, sparking a health crisis for 70 million river‑dependent people and threatening Thailand’s $10 billion rice export sector. Local officials and scientists warn that without regional...
Beauce Gold Fields Receives Quebec Approval for 2026 Exploration Program
Beauce Gold Fields (TSXV:BGF.V) received two provincial authorizations (ATI‑703 and ATI‑704) to launch its 2026 exploration program at the historic Saint‑Simon‑les‑Mines placer gold project in Quebec. The permits, valid through April 2028, allow the company to conduct sonic drilling and seismic...
Yukon Metals Secures Sumo Option
Yukon Metals Corp. has secured an option to acquire the 1,875‑hectare Sumo copper‑gold property adjacent to its Birch project. The deal requires $289,000 cash, 1.5 million shares and $2.64 million of work expenditures by 2031, with a 2.5% NSR royalty retained by...
The US Mint Is Producing Tainted Coins
The U.S. Mint’s gold‑coin program generates roughly $3.5 billion in annual sales, driven by collectors and investors. A Reagan‑era statute mandates that the gold used be sourced from natural deposits within the United States. Investigations reveal that up to 20% of...
Fortune Targets Federal Funding for NICO
Fortune Minerals is courting Canadian and U.S. federal funds to develop the NICO deposit in the Northwest Territories, a site that holds 12% of global bismuth reserves and significant cobalt, copper, and gold. The company received C$17 million (US$12.2 million) for feasibility...
EVelution Energy and Mitsui Sign $850m Cobalt Supply Deal
EVelution Energy has secured a five‑year, $850 million cobalt offtake deal with Japan's Mitsui, granting the trader access to up to 3,000 tonnes per year from a new Arizona processing plant. The facility will be the United States’ first commercial‑scale cobalt metal...
Southern Palladium Doubles Expected Chrome Recoveries From the Bengwenyama Mine
Southern Palladium announced that recent metallurgical testing at its proposed Bengwenyama PGM mine has doubled projected chromite recoveries, raising the estimate from 30% to 65%. Executive Chairman Roger Baxter said the results underscore the orebody’s high grade and the project’s...
Decoding the Mine: How Environmental DNA Is Reshaping Closure, Exploration and Decision-Making
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is moving from a niche science to a core mining tool, giving operators a biological layer of data alongside geology and engineering. Koonkie’s Mining Microbiome Analytics Platform (M‑MAP) translates raw DNA into actionable insights, allowing early tracking...
China's Smart Recycling Turns Gold Into Cash Instantly
From Gold to Cash in Minutes: China’s Smart Recycling #Tech by @XueJia24682 #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology https://t.co/nt8Yz12bGr
UAE Withdraws From OPEC, OPEC+
The United Arab Emirates announced it will leave OPEC and OPEC+ on May 1, ending a membership that began in 1967. The move aligns with Abu Dhabi’s long‑term energy strategy, allowing it to boost output toward a 5 million‑barrel‑per‑day target by 2027. UAE...
Buying Dr. Copper on Sale Signals Commodity Confidence
If you A) bought more Dr. Copper on sale yesterday and B) remain big in Commodities, professionally done https://t.co/kb1fuS8lW9
Sandvik Gives Annual Award to Its Electric Train
Sandvik awarded its own “electric train” system the company’s annual sustainability prize. The fully integrated, electrified crushing and screening solution combines two all‑electric machines with a hybrid unit, delivering a 25% reduction in fuel consumption. The award, presented to the...
How the Chinese Communist Party Has Kept the Economies of Iran and Russia Afloat
The U.S. House Select Committee on China released a report exposing how Beijing’s shadow‑fleet of opaque tankers has been buying sanctioned crude from Russia, Iran and Venezuela at deep discounts. Between 2025‑2026 the fleet moved roughly 69.3 million barrels—about $4 billion worth—most...
Sylvania Platinum Rakes in Profits From Higher Pgm Prices in the March Quarter
Sylvania Platinum posted a strong March‑quarter performance, driven by a 28% rise in PGM basket prices and higher chrome sales. The company exceeded operational plans and expects to meet the upper‑end of its 90,000‑93,000 oz PGM production guidance for the year....
CNOOC’s First Quarter Profit Rises on Higher Oil Prices, Output
China's state‑owned offshore producer CNOOC reported a 7.1% rise in first‑quarter net profit to 39.14 billion yuan ($5.73 billion), helped by higher oil prices and higher output. Revenue climbed 8.6% to 116.08 billion yuan (≈$17 billion) as total production reached 205 million barrels of oil...
Russian Iron Ore and Grain Exports by Rail Skyrocket Amid War in the Middle East
Russian rail freight for iron ore surged 30% year‑on‑year in Q1 2026, reaching 57,100 tonnes, while grain shipments via rail approached a record 19.26 million tonnes between July 2025 and March 2026, representing 52‑56% of the modal mix. China stayed the top iron‑ore...
High‑Grade 15.1 G/T Au Hit Boosts Lake Gold Project
$ROCK.v $TRDTF intersects 15.11 g/t Au over 51.83m from 256m in hole CL26036 Contact Lake Gold Project (Saskatchewan). Multiple holes hitting broad zones + high-grade cores. 15 assays pending. Well-funded with ~$30M treasury for aggressive follow-up drilling. @Trident_RSC
Regenerative Salt Landscapes: An ArchDaily Student Project Awards Winner Rethinking Extraction in Argentina
A team of architecture students from the National University of Córdoba won the ArchDaily Student Project Awards with a thesis titled “Regenerative Salt Landscapes.” The project tackles the clash between expanding lithium extraction at Argentina’s Olaroz Salt Flat and the...