Zambia’s Major Copper Smelters Face Extended Shutdowns, Raising Supply Concerns
Zambia’s two largest copper smelters, Mopani and Chambishi, will undergo unusually long maintenance periods later this year, with Mopani slated for a 40‑45‑day shutdown and Chambishi for roughly two months. The extended outages will sharply curtail domestic sulphuric acid production, a by‑product essential for copper and cobalt processing, leaving export capacity virtually nil. With global sulphuric acid supplies already strained by geopolitical tensions, regional miners—particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—face reduced chemical availability. The combined effect tightens global copper supply, already constrained by years of underinvestment in African mines.
U.S. Extends Russian Oil Wind-Down License Despite Earlier Pledge to Let It Expire
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 134B on April 17, extending the sanctions wind‑down authorization for Russian‑origin crude and products loaded before that date until May 16, 2026. The license permits necessary services—shipping, insurance, bunkering—for those cargoes, but does...
U.S. Firms Show Growing Interest in Congo Mining Assets as Investment Tied to Peace Efforts
U.S. companies are showing heightened interest in mining projects across the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the strategically important Rubaya coltan mine. Washington’s proposed minerals partnership ties any investment to ongoing peace initiatives in the conflict‑ridden eastern region. Early activity,...
Komatsu HM460-6 Haul Truck Boosts Payload, Efficiency
Komatsu unveiled the HM460‑6 articulated haul truck at ConExpo 2026, replacing the HM400‑5 with a ground‑up redesign. The new model lifts payload capacity to 46.3 tons and trims its own weight by over 5,000 lb, promising a lower cost per ton. Powered by...
How to Use Digital Twins to Solve Nonlinear Control Challenges for Rare Earth Extraction
A new digital‑twin framework has been built to tackle the nonlinear, time‑delayed control challenges of rare‑earth element extraction. The architecture combines color‑based soft measurement, dynamically compensated mass‑balance simulation, case‑based reasoning control, and a synchronized 3‑D virtual workshop. In pilot plants,...
USA Rare Earth Boosts Western Supply with $2.8B Brazil Deal
USA Rare Earth (USAR) announced a $2.8 billion acquisition of Brazil’s Serra Verde Group, paying $300 million in cash and issuing 126.85 million shares. The deal brings the Pela Ema heavy‑rare‑earth mine—Latin America’s only producing operation—into a vertically integrated Western supply chain that also...
Iraq Reopens Rabia Border Crossing with Syria to Support Fuel Exports
Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade, reviving overland fuel‑oil exports. The move aims to alleviate backlogs at the al‑Waleed crossing and offset Gulf shipping disruptions caused by the Strait of Hormuz closure....
Why Foreign Policy Is the Central Question of Brazil’s Next Election
Brazil’s October presidential race pits incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, turning the contest into a battle over foreign‑policy direction rather than a simple left‑right showdown. The outcome will determine whether Brazil controls the terms of access to...
Collected Strategies Handles Rare Earths Deal
Collected Strategies, the media firm for USA Rare Earth (USARE), announced the acquisition of Brazil’s Serra Verde miner and processor for $2.8 billion in cash and stock. The deal is underpinned by a $500 million loan and a 15‑year supply agreement from...
Ionic Mineral Technologies – Michael Stephan Wright
Ionic Mineral Technologies announced the appointment of Michael Stephan Wright as Chief Development Officer – Mining. Wright joins the firm with more than 25 years of global project‑delivery experience, most recently serving as vice president of projects at Perpetua Resources....
Victory Metals
Victory Metals Ltd announced a new technical leadership team to drive its North Stanmore Heavy Rare Earths Project. The roster adds Ken Baxter, Scott Atkinson, Dr. Ludovic Dumée and Peter Hedley, who will work alongside Technical Director Professor Ken Collerson...
Zoomlion Accelerates Global Deployment of Ultra-Large Hydraulic Excavators and Smart Mining Solutions
Zoomlion Heavy Industry unveiled an expanded ultra‑large hydraulic excavator line ranging from 60 to 1,000 tons, alongside new electric and hybrid mining equipment such as a 35 m³ electric shovel and a hybrid dump truck. The company highlighted its smart‑mining ecosystem—Smart...
Third Oil Platform Offshore California Coming Online in June
Sable Offshore announced that its third offshore platform, Hondo, will begin production in June 2026, targeting roughly 10,000 gross barrels per day. The company has already restarted one platform and brought 40 wells at the Harmony and Heritage sites online,...
PGM Price Underpin by Investment, Speculation Expected to Persist – Sibanye-Stillwater
Sibanye‑Stillwater warned that investment and speculation will continue to underpin platinum‑group‑metal (PGM) prices as macro‑level uncertainty persists. The company projects primary platinum output to fall from 6.2 million ounces in 2019 to 4.7 million ounces by 2034, with palladium supply slipping to...
New Found Gold Secures $150M for First Phase of Queensway Project
Canadian miner New Found Gold secured C$205 million (approximately $150 million) in financing to advance its Queensway gold project in Newfoundland and Labrador. The package includes a C$100 million equity raise and a C$105 million senior secured credit facility, both led by EdgePoint Investment...
$17.5 Billion LNG Project Anchored by $1B Investment in Louisiana Businesses
Australia’s Woodside Energy announced a $17.5 billion liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana, anchoring more than $1 billion in contracts for local suppliers. A $300 million services deal will see Green Tug Towing build four new tugs at C&C Marine and Repair, slated...
Sibanye-Stillwater Starts Talks with EU on Ensuring Keliber’s Viability
Sibanye‑Stillwater said a decision on the €763 million (≈$832 million) Keliber refinery will be made in Q4, once sustainable lithium‑hydroxide pricing is clear. The open‑pit mine in Finland is finished and mining has begun, while the concentrator is in hot commissioning. The...
Gas Sales Pact Paves the Way for Jadestone’s Southeast Asian Offshore Project
Jadestone Energy, an AIM‑listed oil and gas firm based in Singapore, has signed a gas sales and purchase agreement with PV Gas, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s state‑owned Petrovietnam. The deal secures up to 80 million standard cubic feet per day from...
A Mine Despoiled the Beauty of the Rainforest. This Goldman Prize Winner Took Action
Theonila Roka Matbob of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, received the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for leading a campaign to remediate the legacy of the abandoned Panguna copper‑gold mine. The mine, operated by Rio Tinto’s subsidiary Bougainville Copper Ltd., left extensive environmental contamination and sparked...
Is Mining Nova Scotia’s Golden Opportunity?
Canada’s mining industry generates tens of billions annually, yet Nova Scotia’s sector has lagged, highlighted by the premature shutdown of the Touquoy gold mine in 2023. In early 2025 the provincial government pivoted, cutting permit times in half and lifting...
Agnico Lines up $3B Multi-Deal to Build Finland Hub
Agnico Eagle is orchestrating a roughly $3 billion, three‑deal package to consolidate a 2,492‑sq‑km gold district in Finland. The core transaction is a $2.1 billion acquisition of Rupert Resources, adding the 3.5 million‑ounce Ikkari project adjacent to its Kittila mine. Additional cash deals...
Apple Avoids Over 26 Million Tons of Emissions Through Use of Clean Energy in Supply Chain
Apple’s 2025 Environmental Progress Report shows its supplier‑clean‑energy program grew renewable capacity to 20.7 GW, a 10% rise from the prior year and more than double the 2021 level. The expanded clean‑energy procurement avoided over 26 million metric tons of CO₂e, with...
TGS Extends Multi-Year OBN Engagement in Gulf of America
TGS announced a three‑year extension of its proprietary Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) acquisition contract in the Gulf of America. The multi‑year deal, originally launched several years ago, secures continuous seismic data collection for a major regional producer. CEO Kristian Johansen...
Cora Gold Secures $120m in Funding for Mali Project
Cora Gold has secured a $120 million gold‑stream financing from Eagle Eye Asset to fully fund its Sanankoro Gold Project in southern Mali, complementing a recent $21.2 million equity raise. The stream covers 30.44% of the mine’s output at a discounted 20%...
Kamoa-Kakula Q1 Copper Concentrate Output Falls 54% Year on Year, Ivanhoe Weighs Third-Party Purchases
Ivanhoe Mines reported that its Kamoa‑Kakula on‑site smelter generated 1,350 tonnes per day of sulfuric acid in Q1, equating to about 480,000 tonnes annually, well below its 700,000‑ton design capacity. Copper concentrate output dropped 54% year‑on‑year to 61,906 tonnes, prompting...
Siemens and Vulcan Partner on German Lithium Energy Project
Siemens and Vulcan Energy have signed a framework agreement for the Lionheart lithium‑hydroxide project in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley. The deal makes Siemens the preferred supplier of automation, digital‑twin and data‑analytics technologies through 2035 and includes a 10‑year technology supply...
B2Gold, Agnico Forge Nunavut Alliance
B2Gold announced a non‑exclusive collaboration with Agnico Eagle to exchange Arctic mining expertise across their Nunavut assets, while simultaneously selling its 70 % stake in the Finnish Fingold joint venture for $325 million in cash. The proceeds will bolster B2Gold’s balance sheet,...
A Techno-Economic Framework Evaluating Coal Ash Feedstocks for Multi-Product Resource Recovery
A new preprint presents a techno‑economic framework that evaluates coal‑combustion ash as a feedstock for extracting rare earth elements, critical minerals and alkalinity. By integrating laboratory extraction data with process‑scale cost modeling, the authors assess capital, operating expenses and revenue...
After LNG Vessel Deal, Dubai-Based Firm Orders Four New VLGCs to Enrich LPG Fleet
Dubai‑based energy trader BGN has placed an order for four new dual‑fuel very large gas carriers (VLGCs) with Hyundai Heavy Industries, with delivery expected by 2029. Each vessel will hold 90,000 cubic metres of cargo and can operate on traditional...
Oil Flows to Lag Even if Hormuz Strait Reopens
The Strait of Hormuz, which moves roughly one‑fifth of global oil and gas, remains largely shut after Iran tightened control following a U.S. blockade. Even a temporary reopening will not instantly restore flows; analysts estimate an eight‑to‑twelve‑week lag for tanker...
Eni Makes Major Gas Discovery Offshore Indonesia
Italy’s Eni announced a major offshore gas find in Indonesia’s Kutei Basin, estimating about 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate from the Geliga‑1 well. The discovery sits in the Ganal block, where Eni operates with an...
Assarel-Medet Takes Delivery of Liebherr R 9350 E Electric Excavator for Bulgarian Copper Mine
In late March, Assarel‑Medet received its fifth 300‑ton class Liebherr R 9350 E electric excavator at the Bul copper mine in Bulgaria. The machine features a 1,200 kW electric motor, a 17 cu m bucket, and zero‑emission operation, promising higher productivity and lower maintenance costs....
OKEA Sheds Its Stake in Norwegian Gas/Condensate Discovery
OKEA has entered a sale‑and‑purchase agreement with Japex Norge to divest its 20% working interest in the PL1119 licence, which hosts the Mistral gas‑condensate discovery, for a fixed $30 million plus contingent upside. The transaction, effective 1 January 2026, is slated to close...
Strait Standoff Reshapes Fertiliser Trade and Crop Economics
Eight weeks of Middle‑East fighting have blocked roughly 24% of the world’s bulk fertiliser supply behind the Strait of Hormuz, stranding about 834,000 tonnes of urea. Shipping through the strait fell over 95%, driving nitrogen prices up nearly 40% in...
Probe Underway as Rig Ops Come to a Standstill After Blowout Preventer Drop
Odfjell Drilling reported that its 17‑year‑old Deepsea Atlantic semi‑submersible lost its blowout preventer (BOP) to the seabed at about 1,100 metres on April 18, halting all drilling activity. The rig, operating for Equinor on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, remained secure and no...
Three-Party Union in Singapore Targets Low-Carbon Ammonia as Marine Fuel
A three‑party partnership between NYK Bulkship (Asia), Singapore bunker supplier Golden Island, and Yara Clean Ammonia has signed a non‑binding term sheet to explore low‑carbon ammonia as a marine fuel. The alliance leverages NYK’s fleet of over 900 vessels and...
Ganfeng Lithium Sees Profits Soar Amid Energy Disruption
China’s Ganfeng Lithium, the world’s largest lithium‑metal producer, expects a profit of 1.6 billion yuan (≈ $221 million) for the quarter ended March, a sharp reversal from a 360 million‑yuan loss a year earlier. The surge is driven by soaring oil prices that have...
China’s Silver Imports Jump to Record on Retail and Solar Demand
China set a new record by importing 836 tons of silver in March, far exceeding the 10‑year seasonal average of about 306 tons. The surge was driven primarily by heightened demand from retail investors buying physical silver and the country’s expansive solar‑panel...
Technology Targets a Revival in Copper Refining
Australia produced about 800,000 t of copper in 2024 and refined roughly 460,000 t, but its smelting capacity is tightening, threatening domestic value capture as global demand is projected to hit 35.1 mt by 2030. Start‑up Banksia Minerals, backed by an A$5 m (≈US$3.3 m)...
Resources Top 5: Tartana Minerals Closes in on Copper Sulphate Production
Tartana Minerals is poised to restart copper sulphate production within three weeks, targeting its first shipment to Kanins International in mid‑May. Meanwhile, Narryer Metals completed a A$1.056 million placement that brought seasoned miner Tim Goyder on board as a substantial shareholder....
Altitude Minerals Lines up Byrock Copper-Gold Porphyry Drill Targets
Altitude Minerals is finalising drill collar locations for three high‑priority pipe‑like copper‑gold targets at its Byrock project in New South Wales. The company has integrated new gravity and passive‑seismic surveys with existing air‑core, rotary mud and diamond drilling data to...
Sierra Nevada Gold Takes New Pass Toward Trial Mining
Sierra Nevada Gold (ASX:SNX) has started underground refurbishment at its New Pass project in Nevada, focusing on the high‑grade Superior Vein. The company is preparing a 500‑metre drilling program from five stations to map vein continuity and support potential stope...
Angola: Chitotolo Mine Has Potential to Operate for More Than 20 Years
The Chitotolo Mining Company in Angola reports proven diamond reserves of roughly 7.46 million carats, enough to sustain operations for over two decades at current output levels. In 2025 the mine produced 331,000 kg of diamonds, a 6% increase over its 312,000 kg...
Record 7900-Ounce Laverton Gold Run for Brightstar
Brightstar Resources completed its final ore processing campaign at the Laverton operation in Western Australia, delivering a record 7,900 ounces of gold from 140,000 tonnes of ore at 2.0 g/t. The campaign achieved an 89.1% recovery rate, generating $53 million in revenue...
Axel REE Leach Test Work Confirms ISR Performance of Caladão Rare Earths Material
Axel REE reported that column leach testing of the Woolrich deposit at its Caladão project confirmed the material behaves as expected under in‑situ recovery (ISR) conditions. Soluble rare‑earth oxide concentrations ranged from 443 ppm to 546 ppm, and the tests identified low‑acidity,...
Kingfisher Mining to Launch Drilling Campaign at Copper Blow Project Under Broken Hill Mines Agreement
Kingfisher Mining (ASX: KFM) has launched a second‑stage drilling campaign at its Copper Blow copper‑gold project in New South Wales. The work, conducted under a 10‑year ore‑processing agreement with Broken Hill Mines (ASX: BHM), will test extensions of known lodes and improve geological...
EcoGraf and Mitsubishi Chemical Sign Commercialisation Deal for Epanko Natural Flake Graphite
EcoGraf and Mitsubishi Chemical have signed a non‑binding MoU to supply and qualify natural flake graphite and spherical graphite for Mitsubishi’s anode material operations. The agreement envisions up to 10,000 tonnes per year of unpurified or purified spherical graphite, or roughly...
As World Clamors for Its Critical Minerals, Kazakhstan Ups Control and Seeks Bigger Cut
Kazakhstan is tightening control over its critical‑minerals sector by amending tax, royalty and sub‑soil laws, aiming to secure a larger share of future profits. New royalty rates, effective for licences granted after 2027, are roughly double those in Western Australia,...
Middle East Oil Pricing Is Cracking Under Pressure
The Strait of Hormuz shutdown has crippled the Platts Dubai benchmark, forcing Platts to cut its deliverable basket from five grades to just Murban and Oman, a roughly 40% reduction in pricing coverage. Thin liquidity and concentrated trading, highlighted by...
Pure Silver Plays Strongly Leveraged to Metal’s Upside
Silver is trading near US$78 per ounce, still up roughly 140% from a year earlier, as industrial demand from electrification, renewable energy and high‑tech electronics outpaces supply. Sprott’s SLVR ETF, launched in early 2025, targets pure‑play silver exposure, offering more...