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:
BHP Now Expects Nearly 2M Tonnes Copper Production After Record Escondida Throughput
BHP reaffirmed its FY2026 outlook, citing record throughput at Chile’s Escondida mine and a 2% rise in Western Australia iron‑ore output. Copper production is now expected in the upper half of the 1.9‑2.0 million‑tonne guidance, driven by strong Antamina performance and a new concentrator permit at Escondida. Iron‑ore volumes reached 197 million tonnes, keeping the FY guidance unchanged, while coal output showed mixed results. The update also highlighted $4.8 billion in proceeds from recent asset sales and a CEO transition to Brandon Craig in July.
Mining’s Transformative Power Spurred By Honest Engagement
Mines across Africa are emerging as catalysts for inclusive growth, leveraging renewable‑energy projects to spark local markets and technology adoption. At the Investing in African Mining Indaba, SRK Consulting’s Andrew van Zyl highlighted how mining firms act as first‑mover customers...
Revealed: How Big Oil Is Pushing Labour to Drill the North Sea
A Democracy for Sale investigation reveals that Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), representing BP, Shell and other majors, has lobbied Labour officials intensively to overturn the ban on new North Sea drilling and to scrap the energy‑profits windfall tax. The group...
Hastings Eyes US$53M First-Year Revenue From Thai Rare Earths Plant
Hastings Technology Metals disclosed that its Kabin Buri hydromet plant in Thailand is on track to start producing mixed rare‑earth chloride (MREC) in Q4 2026, with unaudited first‑year revenue estimated at US$53.4 million (≈US$49 million). The 49% stake should generate about US$10.6 million...
Channel Seven’s Spotlight Digging for Dirt on Clean Energy Ignores Fundamental Facts and Basic Journalistic Standards | Temperature Check
Channel Seven’s prime‑time Spotlight program aired a 50‑minute exposé linking Australia’s renewable‑energy and battery‑storage expansion to “blood cobalt” from artisanal mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The report omitted critical context: the U.S. Geological Survey shows only about 10%...
DSV, United Airlines, Microsoft and Phillips 66 Ink Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deal
Global logistics firm DSV has struck a partnership with United Airlines, Microsoft and Phillips 66 to secure up to 41.6 million liters of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The deal, certified by ISCC and tracked via the SAFc Registry, is expected to cut...
Shell Faces New Climate Lawsuit Over Oil & Gas Drilling, Emissions
Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) has filed a new lawsuit against Shell, demanding the energy giant stop developing new oil and gas fields and progressively cut emissions between 2030 and 2050. The case builds on a 2021 Dutch court...
Buy ORCP as WA Gold Gains, Heritage Clearance Progresses
Macro: WA gold supportive. Key: Oracle cleared prelim heritage at Northern Zone; MDCP/lease advancing with Riversgold/MEGA JV. Risk: final heritage/permit delays. Trade: buy ORCP on MDCP. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA. More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Which Imports Really Matter for Inflation
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war has reignited global inflation, primarily through a sharp cut in crude oil supplies. Researchers Consonni and Magerman quantified each EU import’s inflationary impact with a Strategic Dependency Index, finding...
Gateway Hits End-of-Hole Gold at WA Yandal Play
Gateway Mining announced a 32‑metre gold intercept averaging 1.1 g/t from an air‑core hole at its Mustang prospect within the Yandal project in Western Australia. The drill also returned an 8‑metre high‑grade segment at 2.1 g/t, extending mineralisation 500 m north and pushing...
Delicate Extraction: Malaysia Offers Rare Earths Alternative to China
Australian miner Lynas is expanding its rare‑earth processing hub in Gebeng, Malaysia, aiming to grow its roughly 10% share of a market dominated 90% by China. The plant, the world’s largest single‑site processor, now handles 11 of the 17 rare...
Syntax Equips Fenix Gold Mine with ‘Future-Ready Digital Core’
Syntax, a global technology solutions provider, completed a six‑month SAP Cloud ERP transformation for Rio2 Limited’s 100%-owned Fenix gold mine in Chile. The new digital core unified finance, procurement and project accounting across Canada, Chile and Peru, delivering real‑time visibility,...
Foreign Companies Are Making Billions Off Australia’s Gas. It’s Time that Changed
Australia’s gas export boom has generated roughly A$149 billion (≈US$98 billion) in profits for multinational firms over the past four years, yet tax contributions remain minimal. A parliamentary inquiry is pushing a 25% export tax that could raise about A$17 billion (≈US$11 billion) annually...
Ghana: Ghana's Mining Law Aims to Stop Speculation but Leaves Communities in Limbo - Insights From a Lithium Case Study
Ghana’s parliament ratified the nation’s first lithium mining agreement in March 2026, partnering with Barari DV Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Australia’s Atlantic Lithium. The deal ends a three‑year legal moratorium that had frozen land‑use decisions for farming communities around...
Trump to Give Coal Industry More Handouts While Americans Pay
President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to funnel potentially hundreds of millions of dollars into the coal sector, adding a $525 million plant‑upgrade program. The move follows earlier administration actions that forced higher electric bills on consumers while subsidizing...
Judge Blocks Clean Water Act Permit for Mountaintop Removal Mine on Coal River Mountain
A U.S. District Court judge in West Virginia halted the Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Act permit for the Turkeyfoot Surface Mine’s valley fills. The permit would have allowed Alpha Metallurgical Resources to dump mining spoil into more than...
Diet Coke Runs Dry in Indian Cities as Iran War Triggers Aluminium Can Shortage
Diet Coke is running out of stock in major Indian cities as the Iran war has choked the supply of aluminium beverage cans, the primary packaging for the diet soda. Importing cans from the UAE, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia now...
Iltani Resources Resumes Orient Silver-Indium Exploration After Queensland Wet Season
Iltani Resources (ASX:ILT) has re‑opened its Orient silver‑indium project in Queensland after a wet season that delivered 626 mm of rain. The company released VTEM drill results showing high‑grade intercepts, including up to 437 g/t silver and 265 g/t indium, suggesting a potential...
Northern Star Posts Strong Q3, Gold Sales Surge
Northern Star Resources (NST) delivered a strong Q3: sold 418k oz gold, generated $324M cash flow, and boosted net cash to $1.1B. Full-year guidance firmly on track. Gold
Iran Crisis: A Moment of Reckoning for European Aviation
The Iran‑related Middle East crisis has triggered a sharp rise in European airline ticket prices, with long‑haul fares climbing about $97 since the conflict began. The spike exposes the EU’s heavy reliance on imported fossil jet fuel—over 95% of which...
Mount Ridley Revisits Grass Patch Samples to Unlock Critical Minerals Upside
Mount Ridley Mines is re‑assaying about 3,300 historic drill pulps from its Grass Patch project to capture missed scandium, gallium and heavy rare earth element (HREE) values. The company consolidated decades of drilling data, identifying roughly 17,000 untested pulps for...
Australia’s UNSW Launches Solar Recycling Hub as PV Waste Set to Hit 100,000 Tonnes Annually by 2030
Australia’s University of New South Wales has opened the nation’s first dedicated solar‑module recycling research hub, funded with AU$5 million (US$3.6 million) from the Australian Research Council. The ARC Hub for Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability aims to develop technologies that...
EV Resources Strikes Gold Ahead of Maiden Drilling Campaign at Dollar Antimony Project
EV Resources (ASX:EVR) has verified gold assays of up to 3.88 g/t at its Dollar antimony project in Nevada, confirming high‑grade polymetallic potential. A comprehensive soil‑geochemistry program revealed up to 15.05% antimony and significant copper and silver grades across the Dollar...
Riversgold Gains Preliminary Heritage Clearance for Northern Zone
Riversgold has secured a preliminary heritage clearance for its 80 km² Northern Zone gold project near Kalgoorlie, confirming no heritage sites across the tenement. The clearance removes a key regulatory hurdle and paves the way for a final report in four...
GoldArc Plans Resource Growth After Record Leonora South Drilling Campaign
GoldArc Resources (ASX:GA8) completed a record drilling campaign at its Leonora South gold project, sinking 269 drillholes for 15,260 m. The effort spanned development, advanced RC and greenfields aircore programs across Eclipse, Orion, Sapphire and broader Kookynie targets. Partner Mineral Mining...
Impact Minerals Delivers High-Grade Assays From Phase 1 Drilling at Commonwealth Gold-Silver Project
Impact Minerals announced high‑grade assay results from its Phase 1 six‑hole drill program at the Commonwealth gold‑silver project in New South Wales. The standout intercept was 8 m grading 3.3 g/t gold, 186 g/t silver, 5.6% zinc, 2.2% lead and 0.12% copper, with even...
WA Gold Scoping Study Charts Path to Early Abercromby Production
WA Gold’s scoping study shows the Phase 1 Abercromby mine could generate $243‑$297 million in pre‑tax cash flow over a 4.5‑year horizon, with an initial 2‑year open‑pit delivering 24,000 oz and a subsequent 2.5‑year underground producing 90,000 oz of gold. The study assumes a...
Hormuz Closure Triggers Battery Material Shortage
The Hormuz Closure Is Driving a Shortage of Battery Ingredients #energysky -- via Heatmap News https://t.co/qbM9aqdKdm https://t.co/1qVldYbwTl
Copper Prices Volatile as Tariff Fears and Energy Crisis Loom
Copper has entered a volatile phase, with LME prices hovering between $12,000 and $14,000 per tonne after a 60% rally earlier in the year. Tariff speculation, the Iran war and a looming sulphur shortage are pressuring both physical and financial...
Dollar Weakness Fuels 3%+ Oil Surge and Lifts LME Nickel and Alumina
The US dollar index slipped 0.16% to 98.06, prompting WTI crude to climb 4% and Brent up 3.78% overnight. Base‑metal markets responded, with LME nickel gaining 1.39% and the front‑month alumina contract rising 2.56%, highlighting the inverse relationship between the...
Where World’s Critical Minerals Are Located
A new interactive map from KnowWhere Consulting visualizes global production and processing of critical minerals that power electric vehicles, semiconductors, renewable energy, and defense systems. Each country is represented by a circle whose size reflects its share of world output,...
Minrex Hands Reins to New CEO as Serbian Gold Adventure Begins
Minrex Resources has appointed veteran mining executive Max Piirto as chief executive following its merger with Electrum Discovery. The deal gives Minrex control of more than 700 km² of Serbian ground, highlighted by the Tlamino gold project that hosts a 670,000‑ounce gold...
Government Backs Fertiliser Imports, Farmers Gain Certainty, Taxpayers Take the Exposure
The Australian government has introduced an underwriting scheme to backstop fertilizer imports amid supply disruptions caused by tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. The policy guarantees losses for importers who lock in cargoes at high global prices, shifting downside risk...
Market Morsel: Northern Premiums Ready to Wake
Australian grain pricing is increasingly driven by domestic basis rather than global futures. Drying trends and falling subsoil moisture in northern New South Wales and Queensland are tightening local supply. As El Niño risk grows, buyers are moving earlier, creating emerging...
Barton Gold Returns Peak Grades of 60g/T From Drilling at Challenger West Pit
Barton Gold (ASX:BGD) announced drill results from the Challenger West pit that returned a peak grade of 60 g/t gold, including a 3‑metre interval averaging 20.6 g/t and a 7‑metre interval averaging 2.01 g/t. The shallow, near‑surface mineralisation lies within the floor of...
Stellar Shouts Out Boost to Heemskirk Economics on Higher Tin Recoveries
Stellar Resources reported that metallurgical testwork at its Heemskirk project in Tasmania lifted tin recoveries at the Queen Hill deposit from roughly 62% to over 70%. The higher recovery rate supports the production of a clean concentrate grading between 42%...
FPX Nickel Secures Key Permitting Milestone and JOGMEC-Backed Exploration for Baptiste Project
FPX Nickel Corp. has received a joint Summary of Issues and Engagement from British Columbia and Canadian regulators, clearing the first public comment phase for its Baptiste nickel project. At the same time, Japan’s JOGMEC is funding exploration that could...
New Monash-Rio Tinto Agreement Targets Improved Performance of Pilbara Rail Network
Monash University’s Institute of Railway Technology has signed a Master Supply Agreement with Rio Tinto to provide research and engineering services for the miner’s 2,000‑kilometre Pilbara rail network. The partnership will focus on enhancing the AutoHaul autonomous system through real‑time...
GBM Resources Confirms High-Grade Gold Outside of Existing Resource at Twin Hills
GBM Resources announced that its Stage 2 drilling at the Twin Hills project in Queensland has confirmed additional high‑grade gold mineralisation beyond the current resource at the Lone Sister prospect. The program, now 32% complete, returned 52 m at 2.77 g/t Au and 37 m at...
Iraq Turns to Risky Overland Routes as Oil Exports Collapse
Iraq’s oil exports have slumped about 80 % to roughly 1.2‑1.3 million barrels per day after the Strait of Hormuz became effectively closed. The government, which depends on oil for up to 95 % of its budget, is confronting a severe fiscal shortfall....
Apatite Interaction Enables Rapid Phosphate Removal in Estuaries
A massive 800 million‑liter discharge of phosphate‑laden stack water from the Piney Point gypstack entered Tampa Bay in 2021. Researchers tracking the plume found that pre‑existing apatite in estuarine sediments adsorbed and precipitated most of the dissolved phosphate within the first...
EP3 Brief
The Australian federal government has begun underwriting fertilizer imports, using strategic reserves to absorb price risk and guarantee timely delivery amid ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruptions. Grain production in New South Wales and Queensland faces a potential double‑digit decline as...
New Treaty to End the Fossil Fuel Era Is Needed More than Ever (Commentary)
A coalition of more than 50 nations will convene in Santa Marta, Colombia, to launch the first International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, aiming to lay groundwork for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty. The conference follows soaring oil prices—over...
Gina Rinehart-Backed Miner Achieves Remarkable 95.7 Pct Renewable Share in March Quarter, Slashing Diesel Costs
Australian rare‑earth miner Lynas Rare Earths reported that its off‑grid Mt Weld operation ran on 95.7 % renewable electricity in the March quarter, far above the 70 % target. The hybrid system—7 MW solar, 24 MW wind and a 12 MW/12 MWh battery—allowed the site to...
Has Global Gold Production Really Peaked — Or Is a New Supply Cycle Beginning?
Gold prices have surged above $5,500 per ounce in 2026 while mine production has barely risen, creating a structural supply gap. Global mine output grew from 3,516 metric tons in 2016 to a record 3,672 metric tons in 2025, far short of...
China’s Record Oil Stockpiles Signal Hidden Market Insight
China's oil inventories are at record high.. What do the Chinese know that we don't? Daily Energy Report Link: https://t.co/yJIG1S9GHe
Qatar LNG Disruption Triggers Power Crisis in Pakistan
Pakistan’s power grid is under severe strain after QatarEnergy halted LNG production following Iranian strikes. LNG imports fell 67%, forcing daily load‑shedding and factory shutdowns, while hydro, nuclear and gas outputs also slipped. The government faces a trade‑off between costly...
I Get Byro with a Little Help From My Friends – How Science Could Unlock a WA Rare Earths Monster
Octava Minerals is advancing a bio‑leaching pilot at its Byro project in Western Australia’s Gascoyne region to extract rare earth elements, lithium and vanadium from black‑shale deposits. Recent test work with CSIRO cultures delivered recoveries of up to 68 % for...
The Nanoscale Engineering Behind China's Grip on the Green Energy Value Chain
China’s dominance in green‑energy hardware stems from aggressive nanoscale engineering, not just subsidies or scale. By mastering nanostructured silicon wafers, ultra‑thin TOPCon layers, and 2‑5 nm carbon coatings on lithium‑iron‑phosphate cathodes, Chinese firms now control over 80% of solar panel production...
The Hormuz Closure Is Driving a Shortage of Battery Ingredients
The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked the flow of seaborne sulfur, driving up sulfuric acid prices worldwide. As the primary feedstock for refining copper, nickel, cobalt and lithium, the shortage is already prompting output cuts at...