Fuel Prices Are Soaring. Plastic Could Be Next.
The ongoing Iran‑related conflict has closed the Strait of Hormuz, pushing crude oil above $100 per barrel and gasoline past $4 a gallon in the United States. The spike is reverberating through petrochemical feedstocks, especially naphtha, where Asian prices have jumped 50%, raising the cost of polypropylene and other plastics. Manufacturers in India already announced double‑digit price hikes for bottled water, and similar pressure is expected across consumer goods. With bio‑based plastics accounting for less than 1% of global output and recycling constrained, higher feedstock costs could tighten plastic supply and push prices higher for U.S. consumers.
Oil Hikes 7% After Trump Says US-Israel Will Keep Striking Iran
Oil prices surged nearly 7% on Thursday after President Donald Trump warned that the United States and Israel would continue striking Iran, reigniting concerns over supply disruptions. Brent crude rose to $108.81 a barrel and U.S. WTI to $107.18, marking...
EnQuest Enters Malaysia with Cendramas Production Sharing Deal
EnQuest plc has signed a production sharing contract for the Cendramas block offshore Malaysia, securing a 25% participating interest through its subsidiary EnQuest Petroleum Production Malaysia. The block will be operated by Medco Asia Pacific, which holds a 50% stake,...
Weekly Newsletter 2 April 2026
Mining Magazine, founded in 1909 by future President Herbert Hoover, continues to serve as a premier source of technical insight for mine managers worldwide. This week the publication announced the inaugural Mining Magazine Awards for 2026, a new program that...
Gold Fields in $740m Fight with Ghana President’s Brother
Gold Fields is embroiled in a $740 million legal dispute with its contractor E&P, which is owned by Ghana President John Mahama’s brother. E&P has filed two claims—$474.9 million over the Tarkwa mine and $264.7 million over the Damang asset—as Gold Fields seeks...
US, European Funders in Mix for Tharisa’s Karo Project
Tharisa is seeking $300 million of financing for its $545 million Karo platinum‑group‑metals project in Zimbabwe, courting North American and European government‑backed lenders alongside offtake partners. The mine is designed to produce about 226,000 ounces of PGMs per year in its first...
Energean Warns Prolonged Conflict May Delay $1B Gas Project
Energean is spending roughly $10 million each month to keep its Israeli offshore assets on standby as the Israel‑Iran conflict drags on, and its $1 billion Katlan gas development could be postponed if hostilities extend beyond May. CEO Mathios Rigas emphasized that...
Southern Silver Drills 4.6 Metres Averaging 201 G/T Ag, 4.5% Pb and 9.8% Zn (557 G/T AgEq) at Puro Corazon...
Southern Silver announced final assay results from its Puro Corazon drill program in Durango, Mexico, highlighting several high‑grade silver‑lead‑zinc intercepts, including a 4.6‑metre zone averaging 201 g/t Ag, 4.5 % Pb and 9.8 % Zn (557 g/t AgEq) and a 1.5‑metre zone with 401 g/t...
REalloys, USCM Sign MoU on Sheep Creek Rare Earth Project
REalloys has signed a non‑binding memorandum of understanding with U.S. Critical Materials to secure up to 10 % of production from the Sheep Creek rare‑earth project in Montana. The deposit, covering roughly 11 square miles and grading about 9 % total rare‑earth elements,...
GoldHaven Begins Drill Targeting at Magno Project in BC
GoldHaven Resources has filed a permit application to launch a 2026 drill program at its Magno Project in northern British Columbia, targeting the Magno, D and Kuhn zones. The zones host carbonate‑replacement silver‑lead‑zinc mineralisation and tungsten‑rich skarn, suggesting a large...
U.S. Offshore Oil Hits Record 714M Barrels as Gulf Deepwater Leads Surge
U.S. offshore oil production hit a record 714 million barrels in 2025, the highest output ever from the Outer Continental Shelf. The surge is driven primarily by deepwater projects in the Gulf of Mexico, reflecting years of lease sales, geological studies...
Copper Companies with Exposure to Grid Expansion>
Copper is emerging as a strategic bottleneck as grid modernization, electric‑vehicle adoption, and AI‑driven data centers drive unprecedented demand. Its conductivity and durability make it essential across power generation, transmission, distribution, and digital infrastructure. Investors can access exposure through pure‑play...
DynaPrime: Built for Australia’s SAG and Large Ball Mills
Tega Industries introduced DynaPrime, a composite liner that merges plates and lifters for Australian SAG and large ball mills. The system claims up to an 85% increase in wear life, reducing annual shutdowns from three to two and adding roughly...
Saudi Arabia Eyes African Critical Minerals
Saudi Arabia is pivoting from oil to critical minerals to meet Vision 2030 goals, targeting 30% electric‑vehicle sales and 50% renewable electricity by 2030. Africa, which holds about 30% of global critical‑mineral reserves, is becoming a key supply source. Riyadh has...
Kenya: Artisanal Miners in Western Kenya Move Away From Mercury
Artisanal gold miners in western Kenya are transitioning away from mercury after a decade of toxic use that contaminated water sources across the Lake Victoria basin. The UN‑backed planetGOLD programme, funded by a $4.24 million GEF grant, is training miners, formalising...
Giant Copper Project Signs Deal for Australia’s Biggest Off-Grid Hybrid Renewables Facility
Harmony Gold’s $2.4 billion Eva copper mine in Queensland has secured a 15‑year power contract with UK‑based Aggreko to build Australia’s largest off‑grid hybrid renewable facility. The complex will combine a 118 MWp solar farm, a 250 MWh battery storage system and a...
Mount Hope Grows Mt Solitary with Standout Phase 2 Gold Hits
Mount Hope Mining announced Phase 2 drilling results from its Mt Solitary project, highlighted by a standout intercept of 6 metres grading 17.9 g/t gold, including 2 metres at 48.1 g/t. The program, comprising 14 holes and 2,161 m, expanded the mineralised envelope to roughly 180 m...
BLM Lease Sales in Three States Generate $65 Million, Signal Stronger Onshore Drilling Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s latest lease sale across Colorado, Nevada and Utah generated $64.8 million from 136 parcels covering 131,121 acres. Utah accounted for the bulk of revenue, delivering $56.4 million from 57 parcels, while Colorado and Nevada contributed $8.1 million...
Western Gold Pumped as Production Bore Drilling Starts On-the-Ground Phase at Bowerbird
Western Gold Resources has commenced drilling of a production water bore at its Bowerbird site, the first on‑ground activity for the Gold Duke project in Western Australia. The bore, backed by a WA‑approved groundwater extraction licence, will provide low‑cost water...
WA Strengthens Fuel Supply Transparency to Boost Mining Productivity
The Western Australian government is moving to compel fuel suppliers to share detailed operational data under the Fuel, Energy and Power Resources Act, aiming to increase transparency across the state’s fuel supply chain. If the order is approved, regulators can...
Terra Metals Scores Massive Sulphides at Dante’s Southwest SW6 Downhole EM Target
Terra Metals reported visual observation of massive to semi‑massive sulphide zones in its first 2026 diamond hole (SWDD011) at the Southwest SW6 target of the Dante project in Western Australia. The hole intersected the downhole electromagnetic (DHEM) conductor previously modelled...
Critics Call US–Indonesia Trade Deal ‘Extractive Colonialism’ over Mining, Fossil Fuels
The United States and Indonesia signed a $33 billion Reciprocal Trade Agreement that promises expanded market access for U.S. firms and secures Indonesian supply of critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt and bauxite. Key provisions require Indonesia to treat U.S....
Exploration Round-Up: Kali Uncovers High-Grade Shallow Gold
Kali Metals has secured 100% ownership of the DOM’s Hill Project in Western Australia and identified multiple shallow, high‑grade gold targets through historic data review and early‑stage drilling. The company plans to fast‑track these targets in its 2026 exploration program....
March Sales Position Northern Star for Golden Ramp Up
Northern Star Resources sold 381,000 ounces of gold in the March quarter, keeping the miner on track to exceed its FY26 goal of 1.5 million ounces. After nine months, output has already reached 1.11 million ounces, indicating strong momentum. The company’s new...
GoldArc Resources Picks up the Keys to More Ground at Its Leonora South Gold Project
GoldArc Resources has secured prospecting licence P40/1319 adjacent to its Whistler and Woodpecker South prospects in Western Australia’s Leonora South gold district. The company paid A$50,000 (≈US$33,000) in instalments and agreed to a 2% gross smelter royalty for the tenement....
Beyond Oil: The Macroeconomic Impact of Commodity Supply Disturbances
A new CEPR paper shows that supply disruptions in non‑oil commodities—metals, grains, livestock—affect inflation and industrial production as strongly as traditional oil shocks. Using textual analysis of over one million news articles, the authors construct daily supply‑demand proxies for 20...
Fight for the Bight 2.0: Australian Surfers Mobilize Against Planned Offshore Gas Exploration
The Australian Labor government has opened five new offshore gas exploration blocks in the Otway Basin, covering roughly 1.6 million hectares off Victoria and 800,000 hectares off Tasmania. The move revives drilling ambitions that were previously halted after the successful #FightForTheBite...
Energy Woes Shine a Light Back on Uranium
Geopolitical tensions from the Iran‑related oil and gas shortages are reigniting interest in nuclear power as governments seek energy security. About 70 reactors are under construction worldwide, driving a renewed focus on uranium, which remains in a long‑term supply deficit....
Is Grade King Again? As Costs Rise These Miners with Gold Rush Grades Have a Leg Up
Rising oil and diesel prices are reviving the adage that "grade is king" for gold miners, as high‑grade deposits can absorb higher input costs. In Western Australia, Carnavale Resources is advancing a 117,000‑ounce resource at its Kookynie Swiftsure zone, featuring...
Alberta Unlocked Oil From Shale, but This Company Hopes to Unlock Its Critical Minerals
Critical Minerals Americas (CMAI), a Toronto startup, is preparing to list on the TSX‑Venture Exchange to develop a black‑shale project north of Fort McMurray that contains ten critical minerals and fifteen rare earth elements. The company plans to extract these metals...
Kemi Mine to Launch Circular Ecosystem
Outokumpu, together with the EU‑funded Lapland Mining Hub and Digipolis, is launching a data‑driven circular‑economy ecosystem at its Kemi chromium mine. The initiative aims to convert roughly 3 million metric tons of annual waste rock and tailings into marketable inputs such...
Russian Seaborne Diesel Exports Fall 3% Between February and March
Russia’s seaborne diesel and gasoil shipments slipped 3% in March, falling to roughly 3.06 million metric tons. The decline was driven by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes that disrupted loading at the key Baltic hub of Primorsk and the southern port of...
US Gulf Coast Tanker Availability Drops as Asia, Europe Seek to Replace Middle East Supply
U.S. Gulf Coast oil tanker availability has plunged, falling 41% in the past month as Asian and European refiners replace Middle Eastern supply disrupted by the Iran‑related war in the Strait of Hormuz. Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) numbers have...
Who Owns the Moon’s Water? The Coming Legal War Over Lunar Resource Extraction Rights
The Moon’s south‑pole water ice is emerging as the first truly valuable commercial resource, promising a propellant depot that could slash deep‑space mission costs. While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty bars sovereignty claims, it remains silent on extraction, prompting a...
A Different Supply-Side Shock
President Trump’s potential decision to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed would trigger the largest energy‑supply shock on record, cutting roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. The disruption also threatens 30% of the world’s seaborne fertilizer,...
Coal India Misses FY26 Annual Production Target by Wide Margin
Coal India’s FY26 coal output fell 1.7% to 768.1 million tonnes, missing its 875 mt target by a wide margin. Four of its seven subsidiaries—BCCL, CCL, WCL and MCL—recorded production declines, largely blamed on heavy rains in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Offtake also...
Canadian Helium Company Wants Ottawa's Help to Build Country's First Liquefaction Facility
North American Helium, a Calgary‑based producer accounting for about 3% of global helium, is seeking federal financial assistance to fund a $100 million CAD (≈ $74 million USD) liquefaction plant in southwest Saskatchewan. The company currently ships raw helium to the United States...
US Secures Rare Earths Supply as Part of $565mn Loan to Brazil Mining Group
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) approved a $565 million loan to Brazil’s Serra Verde, granting the United States off‑take rights to rare earths from the company’s Pela Ema mine. The agreement ensures that heavy rare earths, critical for magnets...
Thailand Seeks LNG Supplies From Malaysia Due to Middle East Conflict
Thailand is seeking additional LNG supplies from Malaysia to offset disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict, which currently provides about 5%‑10% of its imports. The country receives two to three LNG vessels from the region each month, and officials...
Ivanhoe Cuts Copper Guidance at Kamoa-Kakula
Ivanhoe Mines announced a reduction in its copper production guidance for the Kamoa‑Kakula project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The cut follows a severe flood in 2024 that forced a shutdown of underground mining in May 2025. Management outlined...
IEA Warns Middle East Oil Disruptions Set to Hit Europe in April
The International Energy Agency warned that oil supply disruptions from the Middle East will intensify in April as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, cutting off more than 12 million barrels per day. The loss is projected to be twice March’s...
Phase 2 Exploration Begins at La Union Project, Mexico
Questcorp Mining and Riverside Resources have launched Phase 2 exploration at the La Union Project in Sonora, Mexico, following a successful Phase 1 drill program. Phase 1 uncovered a 30‑metre, 20.2 g/t gold and 226 g/t silver interval at the Union Mine and a 42‑metre,...
Orano CE to Accept Kayelekera Uranium Concentrate
Lotus Resources secured acceptance from Orano Chimie‑Enrichissement (Orano CE) for uranium concentrate produced at its Kayelekera mine in Malawi. The agreement, which requires independent laboratory test results, paves the way for initial shipments in Q2 2026 as the project moves toward full...
Subsea7 Bags Chevron Job Offshore Equatorial Guinea
Subsea7 has been awarded a substantial subsea installation contract by Noble Energy, a Chevron affiliate, for the Aseng gas monetisation project offshore Equatorial Guinea. The contract, valued between $150 million and $300 million, covers a single‑well tie‑back that will connect the Aseng...
Gold’s Haven Role Intact Despite Sharp Price Fall
Gold prices dropped about 12% after the Middle East conflict, but Standard Chartered’s global head of commodities research Suki Cooper says the metal’s safe‑haven status remains solid. The decline is attributed to short‑term liquidity pressure rather than a structural shift,...
From Waste to Wealth at Mount Sicker
Sasquatch Resources is advancing the Mount Sicker project, a hybrid effort that combines mine rehabilitation with fresh exploration. The site contains over 300,000 tonnes of legacy waste that still hold measurable quantities of gold, zinc, copper and silver. By reprocessing...
Nestlé Launches Project to Improve Human Rights in the Coffee Supply Chain
Nestlé and the International Labour Organization have launched a two‑year initiative to strengthen human‑rights protections in coffee supply chains across Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. The project is funded through Nestlé’s Nescafé Plan 2030, which commits over $1 billion to sustainable coffee...
Sandvik to Supply Loaders, Trucks and Drills to Aris Mining for Marmato Gold Expansion
Sandvik Mining has secured a major order from Colombia’s Aris Mining to supply underground loaders, trucks and drilling rigs for the Marmato gold expansion. The deal also bundles a long‑term maintenance contract and opens talks on automation and digital optimisation....
Indonesia Bets on Nickel Levy to Break Its China Habit
Indonesia is preparing a progressive export levy on processed nickel products such as nickel pig iron and ferronickel. The tax starts at about 2% when LME prices sit between $15,000‑$16,000 per ton and can rise to roughly 10% as prices...
Resolute, NMC Sign MoU for Gold Exploration in Guinea
Resolute Mining has entered a strategic memorandum of understanding with Guinea’s Nimba Mining Company to explore gold projects, backed by the Ministry of Mines and Geology. The MoU focuses on evaluating resources and conducting geological studies in the Siguiri Basin,...
