Thorium Key to India’s Energy Self-Reliance Amid LPG Concerns: Expert
Amid escalating West‑Asia tensions that threaten LPG supplies, India faces heightened energy security risks, prompting experts to spotlight thorium as a long‑term solution. The country possesses roughly 25‑30% of the world’s thorium reserves, offering a domestic, low‑cost fuel for power generation. India’s current electricity mix remains over 70% coal‑dependent and heavily reliant on imported fuels, while its nuclear program follows a three‑stage roadmap that culminates in large‑scale thorium reactors. Experts argue that accelerating the thorium programme is essential for achieving true energy self‑reliance.
Copper Falls to Three-Month Low as Global Growth Concerns Rise
Copper slipped to its lowest level in over three months, falling 1.8% on the London Metal Exchange after a 6.7% plunge last week. The decline was triggered by heightened risk aversion stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which pushed...
Verity Strengthens Case for Larger Gold System at Monument
Verity Resources announced that drilling across its Monument gold project in Western Australia has confirmed mineralisation along a 7‑kilometre strike length. Results from the Perseverance and Triton prospects extend the known Banded Iron Formation (BIF) corridor beyond the existing Korong...
Alligator Energy Begins Uranium Extraction in Samphire Field Recovery Trial
Alligator Energy has initiated uranium extraction at its Samphire project in South Australia as part of a four‑month field recovery trial. Detectable uranium concentrations have been confirmed in the lixiviant, though target extraction rates remain unmet. The trial will generate...
Renascor Hits Cobalt-Copper Mineralisation at Bulloo Creek
Renascor Resources announced that its 13‑hole, 2,340‑metre reverse‑circulation drill program at the Bulloo Creek prospect intersected significant cobalt and copper mineralisation across both eastern and western magnetic anomalies. The eastern anomaly returned a 16‑metre interval averaging 901 ppm cobalt, including a...
Curtin Geoscience Hub Aims to Boost Critical Minerals Exploration
Curtin University has launched the Curtin Frontier Institute for Geoscience Solutions (CFIGS) to accelerate critical minerals exploration in Western Australia. The institute links government, industry and academia through a Geo Shopfront platform that delivers tailored geoscience services. Backed by Curtin’s world‑class...
Push for AI Trial to Speed up Environmental Approvals
The Minerals Council of Australia is seeking a $13 million, three‑year AI pilot to modernise environmental approvals under the EPBC Act. The council argues that decision times have jumped 60 % to 3.8 years, stalling projects worth billions. If successful, the initiative could...
Critical Mineral Push as Kalgoorlie Project Noted in US-Japan Meeting
Ardea Resources' Kalgoorlie nickel project was highlighted in the recent US‑Japan summit on critical minerals, underscoring its strategic role in the Goongarrie Hub. The project, backed by Japanese partners Sumitomo Metal Mining and Mitsubishi Corporation, has secured up to $1 billion...
Caledonia Mining Corporation PLC (CMCL) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Coeur Mining reported a record 2025 with gold production soaring 723% YoY and silver up 5%, driven by the Rochester expansion and the Silvercrest acquisition. Full‑year EBITDA more than doubled to over $1 billion and free cash flow swung to $666 million,...
LONG READ: Coal Is Back.
Coal is re‑emerging as a key fallback fuel after the Iran‑triggered Operation Epic Fury disrupted global gas supplies. The International Energy Agency now projects 2026 coal demand at a record 8.85 bn tonnes, a 0.5% rise, while thermal‑coal prices have jumped...
Can You Dig It? SA Dubbed Australia’s Top Mining Jurisdiction
South Australia has been crowned Australia’s most attractive mining jurisdiction in the Fraser Institute’s 2025 survey, leaping to fourth place globally and overtaking Western Australia. The state’s Investment Attractiveness Index rose by 26.04 points, while its Best Practices Mineral Potential...
Can India Afford to Quit Coal?
India remains heavily dependent on coal, which supplies roughly three‑quarters of its power, even as the economy expands at 7.5% annually and electricity demand surges. Solar capacity has exploded from 4 GW to 140 GW in a decade, putting the country on...
Pan African Pays Its Way Out of Aussie Gold Penalty
Pan African Resources bought Australian miner Tennant Consolidated Mining Group for $54.2 million and now projects 46,000‑48,000 ounces of gold from the Nobles project in FY 2026, with a long‑term target of 100,000 ounces. To remove costly JV penalties, the company is...
The Oil Shell Game: Peeling Away the Bluster of the Latest Oil Announcements
The Trump Administration announced temporary licenses to allow Iranian and Russian crude to move and offered 86 million barrels from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Experts argue the licensing is largely symbolic, as sanctions, insurance gaps, and financing constraints keep...
Govt to Launch Bid for 7th Tranche of Critical Mineral Blocks on March 23
India will launch its seventh tranche of critical mineral auctions on March 23, 2026, offering 19 blocks across multiple states. The blocks contain lithium, graphite, rare‑earth elements, tungsten, vanadium and titanium, essential for electric vehicles, renewables, fertilizers and defence. The...
Coal Imports Likely to Remain Subdued in Near Term
India’s coal imports slipped 4.2% to 213.1 million tonnes in the April‑January window, with non‑coking imports falling to 127.8 MT while coking imports rose modestly to 50.4 MT. The decline reflects a deliberate push toward self‑reliance as domestic output expands. Seaborne coal prices...
Copper Intelligence Launches Drilling Program at Butembo Copper Project in DRC
Copper Intelligence, formerly African Discovery Group, has deployed an XY‑44 drill rig to begin a drilling campaign at its Butembo copper project in eastern DRC. The program, partnered with South Africa’s Gemdrill, targets depths up to 1,000 m to test the...
Zambia Launches Major Environmental Remediation at Sino-Metals After Tailings Dam Collapse
Zambia’s government has inaugurated a comprehensive environmental remediation program at Sino-Metals Leach Ltd following the February 2025 collapse of Tailings Dam No. 15, which polluted the Chambeshi, Mwambashi and Kafue rivers with acidic, heavy‑metal‑laden waste. A joint task force comprising ZEMA,...
President Hichilema Warns Against Fuel Hoarding Amid Global Energy Crisis
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema warned oil‑marketing firms that hoarding fuel creates artificial shortages, despite the country holding 30‑60 days of reserves. He linked the issue to the broader Middle East conflict that is tightening global energy supplies. The administration announced...
Asia's EVolution: Indonesia’s Nickel Powers Global Electric Vehicle Boom but at What Cost to the Country?
Indonesia now provides roughly 40% of the world’s nickel, a critical component for electric‑vehicle batteries. A 2014 export ban and a 2020 full ban forced the country to build a domestic refining sector, which exploded from six plants in 2015...
Big Oil Flocks to Alaska in Record-Setting Petroleum Lease Sale
The National Petroleum Reserve‑Alaska held its first lease sale in seven years, generating a record $163.7 million in high bids and awarding 187 leases across 1.33 million acres. Major oil companies such as ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and a Repsol‑Shell consortium secured tracts, marking...
India Hits 1 Billion Tonne Coal Output Again, Boosts Energy Security
India’s coal ministry announced that the country produced a second consecutive 1 billion‑tonne haul of coal on March 20, 2026, marking a repeat of the 2025 milestone. The surge in output has helped thermal power plants maintain record coal inventories, cushioning the grid...
Vedanta Reuses 85 Million Cubic Metres of Water Across Operations in FY26
Vedanta Ltd reported reusing more than 85 million cubic metres of water across its mining and metals operations in FY26, achieving a 31 percent water‑recycling rate that ranks among the highest globally for water‑intensive sectors. The company’s three‑pillar strategy—recycle, conserve, replenish—underpins its...
Barry FitzGerald: Rumble Glitters with More than Gold in a Battered Sector
Gold junior stocks have slumped more than 30% as the sector wrestles with the steepest price retreat in six years, yet the metal still trades about 35% above its 2025 average. Rumble Resources (ASX: RUM) has fallen to a $53 million...
Multi-Method Synergistic Determination of the Development Height of the Water-Conducting Fractured Zone in the 82209 Working Face
Researchers at Lijiayao Coal Mine applied a multi‑method system to pinpoint the water‑conducting fractured zone height above the 82209 near‑horizontal working face. Empirical formulas yielded a broad 56.09‑135 m range, while key‑strata theory estimated 66.9 m. Field boreholes measured 64.52 m and 113.58 m,...
How the Iran War Reveals the Extent of Fossil Fuel Propaganda
Oil prices are edging toward $100 a barrel for Brent crude as the Iran war disrupts the Strait of Hormuz, pushing national gasoline averages to $3.91 and squeezing low‑income households. Economists warn the ripple effect will raise costs for everything...
Tudor Drops One Wrangle over BC’s Biggest Gold Project, but Other Hurdles Remain for Seabridge’s KSM
Tudor Gold has withdrawn its appeal against the British Columbia regulator’s decision, removing one legal obstacle to Seabridge Gold’s KSM gold‑copper project. The appeal concerned the Mitchell Treaty Tunnels that would run through Tudor’s claims, potentially restricting access to the...
A Gas Plant Proposal for Rural Virginia Gets Local Land Use Approval
Fluvanna County’s Board of Supervisors approved a 4‑1 vote for Tenaska’s 1.5‑gigawatt Expedition Generating Station, a natural‑gas plant, granting a special‑use permit, higher smokestack allowances, and restrictive covenants. The deal promises roughly $250 million in tax revenue and includes a $5 million...
US Resin Shippers Look to Tap New Customers Amid Iran War
U.S. resin exporters are seeing a surge in container bookings as the Iran‑Israel conflict disrupts the Middle East’s dominant plastics supply chain. On March 16, Vizion recorded 6,191 daily export bookings, nearly double the 3,500‑4,500 range typical for 2026. The first...
Trump Admin Targets 1 Million Acres of California Public Lands for Drilling, Putting Yosemite’s Backyard at Risk
The Bureau of Land Management, under the Trump administration, has released two plans to open more than one million acres of California public lands to oil and gas drilling and fracking, including areas adjacent to Yosemite, Sequoia, and other national...
Deep-Sea Mining Rules Face Delays Despite Urgent Push
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has yet to finalize its mining code, leaving deep‑sea mining without a binding international regulatory framework. ISA Secretary‑General Leticia Carvalho urged completion by year‑end, but the March 19 meeting adjourned without a clear timeline. Meanwhile, the...
Boliden Stops Production at Garpenberg Mine
A rockfall at depth 1,100 m in Boliden’s Garpenberg mine on March 14 triggered a pressure wave that injured six workers, all now discharged. The incident prompted evacuation and halted production at the concentrator on March 15. Garpenberg, Sweden’s oldest operating mine, produces...
DEF Pump Prices, so Far, Hold Steady Despite Middle East Turmoil
Diesel retail prices jumped to $5.18 per gallon, up sharply from $3.81, while the cost of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) has remained flat around $4.30‑$4.60 per gallon. The raw material for DEF—urea—saw its benchmark price surge from $482.50 to $712.50...
Pirate Gold Drilling Crippleback Lake Target at Treasure Island Project, Newfoundland
Pirate Gold Corp has begun drilling at the Crippleback Lake target within its 78,600‑hectare Treasure Island Project in central Newfoundland, following high‑grade results at the Moosehead zone. The Crippleback area is characterized by intense alteration and surface gold‑copper‑molybdenum mineralization, suggesting...
Fitzroy Shares Advance on Chilean Copper Drilling Results
Fitzroy Minerals saw its TSXV‑listed shares jump 6.6% to C$0.405 after releasing new drilling data from its Buen Retiro copper project in northern Chile. Infill hole BRT‑DDH045 returned 384 metres grading 0.22% copper, including a higher‑grade 94‑metre interval at 0.33%...
Cyclone Forces Mine Closures as Winds Lash North Australia
Tropical Cyclone Narelle hit northern Queensland with 195 km/h winds, forcing Rio Tinto to temporarily close its Amrun and Andoom bauxite mines, which together produce about 30 million tonnes annually. South32 also shut the world’s largest manganese mine on Groote Eylandt...
Shipping’s Biofuel Gamble Could Deepen Africa’s Land Squeeze and Food Insecurity (Commentary)
The commentary warns that adopting crop‑based biofuels to decarbonise shipping could exacerbate Africa’s land pressure and food insecurity. Shipping accounts for roughly 300 million tons of fuel annually and 3 % of global emissions, so even modest biofuel uptake would demand large...
SANY Signs Major Electrified Fleet Deal with Holcim Including 20 Autonomous Mining Trucks
SANY Group and Holcim have signed a Letter of Intent worth 100 million CHF to roll out electrified construction equipment over the next five years. The deal includes delivery of 100 electric units and deployment of 20 autonomous mining trucks across...
Mkango Remains Confident of Songwe, Puławy Assets’ Positive Economic, Social Impact
Mkango Resources released an updated definitive feasibility study for its Songwe Hill rare‑earth mine in Malawi and a prefeasibility study for a rare‑earth separation plant in Puławy, Poland. The Songwe project forecasts 5,954 t/y of total rare‑earth oxides over an 18‑year...
Norway Gas Production Down in February
Norway’s natural gas production slipped to 355.13 MMcmd in February, a 2.6 % decline from January and 0.4 % below February 2025, missing the NOD forecast by 2.1 %. Gas sales fell to 9.9 Bcm, down 1.4 Bcm from the previous month. Oil output rose to 1.97 MMbpd,...
SBM Offshore Interview: Advancing Future-Ready FPSOs Through Standardization, Robotics, AI and Lower‑carbon Solutions
SBM Offshore’s COO Alex Glenn detailed the Fast4Ward program, which shifts the company from bespoke FPSO designs to a standardized, modular, data‑driven model. The initiative introduces pre‑engineered hulls and topside modules, cutting delivery schedules by up to a year and...
China’s Rare Earth Magnet Exports to the US Keep Falling as Europe Gains
China’s shipments of rare‑earth permanent magnets to the United States fell 22.5% year‑on‑year in January‑February 2026, marking the seventh consecutive month of decline. The US now accounts for just 9.2% of China’s magnet exports, slipping to the third‑largest buyer behind...
Epiroc African Order for Auto Cable-Electric Drills Adds to Good Year for Electric & Autonomous Fleets
Epiroc secured a SEK380 million (US$40.7 million) order for autonomous, cable‑electric Pit Viper 275 E blasthole drill rigs destined for African surface mines. The rigs, fully driverless and zero‑emission, will be delivered through the end of 2027, reinforcing Epiroc’s push toward electrified, automated fleets....
Oil Whipsaws as War Risk and Emergency Supply Measures Collide
Oil prices swung sharply this week as escalating war risk in the Middle East collided with a series of emergency supply measures. WTI fell to $94.13, down 3.98%, after traders weighed tanker delays in the Strait of Hormuz against strong...
The Race to Stabilize Oil Markets as the Iran War Expands
The Iran‑Israel conflict is spilling into global oil markets as strikes target both the Hormuz corridor and Iran’s Kharg Island export hub. U.S. officials have responded with a Jones Act waiver, Strategic Petroleum Reserve drawdowns, and the prospect of releasing...
Ghana’s Parliament Ratifies Atlantic Lithium’s Ewoyaa Mining Lease
Ghana’s Parliament has formally ratified Atlantic Lithium’s Ewoyaa mining lease, granting the company exclusive rights to develop a lithium mine and processing plant. The 15‑year lease, renewable under Ghanaian law, incorporates the new 2025 royalty regulations, aligning fiscal terms with...
The Future of South African Mining
South Africa’s mining sector is at a crossroads, buoyed by record attendance at the Mining Indaba and a government push to develop critical mineral reserves. President Ramaphosa’s recent State of the Nation Address framed mining as a "sunrise industry," while...
Lucara Finds Rare Blue Diamond in Botswana
Canadian miner Lucara Diamond announced the recovery of a 36.92‑carat Type IIb blue diamond from stockpiled ore at its Karowe mine in Botswana. The stone was located using X‑ray transmission technology, adding to a year that already produced five diamonds over...
TC Energy Could Be Open to Return to B.C. LNG Pipeline Project as Global Gas Crunch Threatens
TC Energy CEO François Poirier said the company could consider re‑entering British Columbia’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project if the Ksi Lisims LNG venture approaches it. Recent Middle‑East tensions have heightened the appeal of Canadian West‑Coast LNG, improving the permitting outlook...
Transocean, Noble, COSL, Seadrill, and Valaris Pinpointed as Rig Backlog Powerhouses
Westwood Global Energy’s latest RigLogix analysis identifies Transocean, Noble, COSL, Seadrill and Valaris as the five offshore drilling firms holding the largest floating‑rig backlog for 2026. The overall backlog fell 25% in 2025 versus 2024, largely because Brazil awarded few...
