US DOE Selects Five Project to Restart Domestic Primary Gallium Recovery
The U.S. Department of Energy announced roughly $5.4 million in funding for five projects aimed at restarting domestic primary gallium recovery, a capability absent since 1987. The TRACE‑Ga initiative, managed by ENERGYWERX, will prototype novel extraction methods from waste streams, alumina processes, and scrap metal. Selected companies include PHNX Materials, Atlantic Alumina, Found Energy, Kunin Technologies, and Indium Corp, each pursuing distinct pathways to produce high‑purity gallium. The effort seeks to reduce the United States’ 100% import reliance on this critical semiconductor and defense material.
Petrochemicals Lie at Core of Demand Destruction
The International Energy Agency says petrochemical feedstock demand fell by 1.5 million barrels per day in Q2 2026, driven by war‑related outages in the Middle East and costly run cuts across Asia. Gulf‑region plants face reduced operating rates and damaged export routes,...
Ancient Process that Created Rare Earth Elements Discovered — and It Could Help Us Locate Desperately Needed Deposits
Scientists have identified that most rare‑earth element (REE) deposits and their host alkaline or carbonatite magmas are situated above ancient subduction zones. By modeling plate‑tectonic history over the past two billion years, the study found 67% of alkaline magma blobs...
How Big Oil Is Cashing in on Iran War - The Latest
The world’s 100 largest oil and gas companies generated more than $30 million per hour in unearned profit during the first month of the US‑Israeli war on Iran. Crude prices averaged $100 a barrel in March, driving an estimated $23 billion windfall...
LaFleur and Trafigura Enter Into Term Sheet for C$30 Million Prepayment Facility and Gold Offtake Agreement
LaFleur Minerals has signed a term sheet with Trafigura Canada for a non‑dilutive prepayment facility of up to C$30 million (≈US$22 million) and a gold doré offtake agreement to fund the restart and expansion of its Beacon Gold Mill in Val‑d’Or, Québec....
Stena Drilling’s Drillship Finds Job in Greece
Stena Drilling has secured an exploratory drilling contract for its 2008‑built drillship Stena DrillMAX with Energean Hellas, marking Greece’s first deep‑water offshore well. The well, slated for early 2027 in Block 2 of the Northwestern Ionian Sea, will require managed pressure drilling....
Demand for Colombia LNG Shipments Set to Surge
Colombia’s power sector is gearing up for a sharp increase in LNG imports as an El Niño‑driven dry season threatens its hydropower‑dependent grid. Imports, currently 210 million cubic feet per day, are expected to climb to the SPEC terminal’s full 475 mcf/d capacity...
Iran War, Indonesia Curbs to Support Nickel Price: Report
BMI raised its 2026 refined nickel price forecast to $16,600 per tonne, up from $15,800, citing a structurally firmer market despite a persistent global surplus. Indonesia’s decision to cap nickel ore mining quotas at 260‑270 million wet metric tonnes, down from...
Silver Demand From PV Industry Expected to Drop 19% This Year
Metal Focus’s World Silver Survey 2026 shows the global silver market remains tightly constrained, with prices averaging $40 per ounce in 2025 and a fifth straight annual deficit of 40.3 million ounces projected for 2025 and 2026. At the same time,...
China’s Africa Strategy Is Shifting and Iran Conflict Will Speed It Up
China is pivoting its Africa strategy from resource extraction to investment, centering the effort in Hunan Province’s “Hunan Model.” The model, formalized through the China‑Africa Economic and Trade Deep Cooperation Pilot Zone and a dedicated exhibition, streamlines logistics, free‑trade zones,...
China’s CATL to Invest US$4.4 Billion in Mining Arm to Secure EV Battery Supply Chain
China’s battery leader CATL is earmarking 30 bn yuan (≈$4.4 bn) to launch a mining subsidiary that will consolidate existing assets and chase new mineral projects worldwide, securing raw‑material supply for its EV batteries and energy‑storage systems. The move follows a Q1...
WD-40 Braces for Iran War Impact on Supply Costs
WD‑40 warned that the Iran‑driven oil shock is raising the price of petroleum‑based specialty chemicals used in its formulas. The company said the cost increase will take 90‑120 days to filter through inventory and affect gross margins, with the first...
Why Sulfuric Acid Is Emerging as a Supply Chain Constraint in Copper
Sulfuric acid, traditionally a background chemical in copper production, is emerging as a tangible supply‑chain constraint. Trade disruptions in the Middle East, China’s abrupt export ban, and already weak smelter economics are converging to tighten acid availability. The pressure hits...
Loughborough University Targets the UK’s Critical Materials Sovereignty Gap
Loughborough University has partnered with Freemelt to deploy electron‑beam additive manufacturing (EBM) for processing refractory metals such as tungsten, niobium and tantalum, which are essential to next‑generation energy and defence systems. The vacuum‑based EBM platform overcomes laser‑related reflectivity and oxidation...
BASF and TSR Group Collaborate on Battery Recycling
BASF and the TSR Group announced a partnership to integrate battery‑dismantling, safe discharge, and black‑mass processing across Europe. TSR will contribute its network of more than 190 licensed waste‑management sites, while BASF adds its Schwarzheide recycling plant that produces black...
A2 Gold Outlines Antimony Potential at Nevada Project
A2 Gold Corp. disclosed new technical data highlighting significant antimony mineralization at its Taylor Gold‑Silver Project in Nevada. Historical production from two former antimony mines showed high‑grade ore, including 13 tons at 56% Sb in 1939 and 90 tons averaging 14% Sb...
Amid the Hormuz Crisis, Indonesia Rewrites Its Energy Playbook
Indonesia’s government responded to the Strait of Hormuz disruption with a two‑pronged strategy: domestic fuel subsidies and demand controls were kept steady while the president launched an intensive diplomatic tour of Japan, South Korea and Russia. The visits produced concrete...
Harmony's Eva to Use ABB Drives
Harmony Gold is moving ahead with its Eva copper‑gold project, a US$1.73 billion development that targets both copper and gold extraction. The mine will be equipped with ABB’s 24 MW gearless mill drive (GMD) and ring‑geared mill drive (RMD) technologies. While the...
Ascension Secures Funding for Geothermal Critical Mineral Recovery
Ascension, a UK geothermal developer, has secured a £670,490 Innovate UK grant and £1 million from UKI2S to fund a pilot plant that extracts critical minerals from geothermal brine. The project will focus on recovering rare earth elements, lithium and other strategic...
Pebble Plaintiffs Rebut DOJ Veto Brief
Northern Dynasty Minerals filed a reply brief in Alaska federal court challenging the EPA’s 2023 Pebble mine veto. The brief argues the agency’s decision conflicts with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Final Environmental Impact Statement, relies on a flawed...
Eagle Water Treatment Resumes for Spring
The Yukon government announced on April 13 that treated‑water discharge will resume at the Eagle Gold Mine, allowing the site to build storage capacity ahead of the spring melt. Since the 2024 heap‑leach pad failure, the mine, under PwC receivership,...
New Amalga PEA Outlines Juneau Gold Mine
Grande Portage Resources released its first preliminary economic assessment for the New Amalga gold project near Juneau, outlining a seven‑year underground mine with offsite processing. The PEA projects 1.05 million ounces of gold over life‑of‑mine, with after‑tax NPV of $721 million at...
Tongwei and Daqo Shares Rally on Polysilicon Regulatory Rumours, Prices Stay Depressed
Rumors of a closed‑door meeting in Chengdu to impose polysilicon production cuts sparked a sharp rally in Chinese PV stocks on April 13, with Tongwei up 7.9% and Daqo Energy nearly 8%. The benchmark polysilicon futures surged to RMB 34,770/ton (≈US$5,097),...
Foremost Clean Energy Drills High-Grade Unconformity Mineralization at Hatchet Lake South Project, Saskatchewan
Foremost Clean Energy reported 2026 drill results from the Hatchet Lake South uranium project in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. Five of ten holes intersected unconformity‑related mineralization, highlighted by 0.34% eU3O8 over 4.6 m, including a 1.0% eU3O8 core of 1.4 m. Step‑out drilling...
Doubleview Gold Corp. Announces Filing of Preliminary Economic Assessment Technical Report for the Hat Project
Doubleview Gold Corp. filed a NI 43‑101 technical report detailing its Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the 100%-owned Hat polymetallic project in northwestern British Columbia. The PEA shows after‑tax NPV (5%) ranging from C$4.96 billion (≈$3.7 billion) to C$14.85 billion (≈$11 billion) and IRRs...
Norway Eyes Enhanced Oil & Gas Recovery Projects to Boost Production
Norway’s Offshore Directorate (NOD) has launched a task force to fast‑track enhanced oil and gas recovery (EOGR) pilots on the mature Norwegian Continental Shelf. A prior Imperial College study put the theoretical upside at 350‑700 million standard cubic meters of oil...
Vår Energi Unveils $360 Million Investment in Barents Sea Field
Vår Energi announced a $360 million investment to modify the Goliat Gas Export (GGE) project in Norway’s Barents Sea, extending the field’s operational life to around 2050. The plan adds a 12‑kilometre gas export pipeline and connects the FPSO Goliat to...
Antofagasta Backs 2026 Goals Despite Copper Output Dip
Chilean miner Antofagasta reported an 8% drop in first‑quarter copper output to 143,000 tonnes, but net cash costs fell 30% to $1.08 per pound. The company kept its full‑year production guidance of 650,000‑700,000 tonnes and its $3.4 billion capital‑spending plan, citing...
New Episode: How Have Global Oil Supply Chains Shifted Around the Iran Conflict?
The latest Energy Technology episode examines how the US‑Israel‑Iran confrontation has reshaped global oil supply chains. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and U.S. blockades on Iranian tankers, Middle‑East exporters such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE have trimmed output...
Codelco in Talks with Hindustan Copper for Chile Copper Joint Venture
Codelco is negotiating a joint venture with Hindustan Copper Ltd. to develop an undeveloped Chilean deposit, with the partnership slated to involve more than $1 billion in capital. The deal would let Codelco share the financial burden of new projects, a...
PGMs, China’s Stockpiling Spur Mining Production Leap, Minerals Council Reports
South Africa’s mining sector posted a 9.7% year‑on‑year production rise in February 2026, propelled by a 52.3% surge in platinum‑group metals (PGMs) and Chinese stockpiling of chrome and manganese. Total mineral sales jumped 58.3% YoY to R78.6 billion (≈$4.1 billion), led by...
Malabar Marks Start of Longwall Mining at Maxwell Underground Coal Operation
Malabar Resources announced that the Maxwell Underground mine in New South Wales has produced its first full shears of coal using a longwall machine, marking the transition to the region’s largest long‑life longwall operation. The project, approved in December 2020,...
ABB to Deliver GMD, RMD Technology for Harmony’s Eva Copper Mine Project
ABB has secured a contract to supply its gearless mill drive (GMD) and ring‑geared mill drive (RMD) technology for Harmony’s Eva Copper Mine in Queensland. The 24 MW GMD will power a 12.2‑m SAG mill while an 18 MW variable‑speed RMD will...
Japan to Launch $10B Fund to Help Asia Secure Oil
Japan announced a $10 billion financial framework, administered by state‑backed lenders JBIC and NEXI, to help Asian nations secure oil amid heightened Middle East tensions. The fund is equivalent to roughly 1.2 billion barrels, or about one year of crude imports for...
Eni Ships Venezuelan Crude to Europe After Two-Year Gap
Italian energy giant Eni loaded a 1‑million‑barrel cargo of heavy Venezuelan crude bound for Spain, the first European shipment in almost two years. The cargo left the Jose terminal aboard the Marshall Islands‑flagged tanker Front Cruiser after U.S. licenses cleared...
Trident Intersects 4.61 G/T Au over 38.48m From 77.00m, Including 5.48 G/T over 26.14m From Hole 26028 – 200m ENE...
Trident Resources reported assay results from the first nine diamond holes of its 2026 winter program at the Contact Lake Gold Project. Hole CL26028 returned 4.61 g/t Au over 38.48 m, including a 33.16 g/t hit over 1.89 m, while hole CL26025 intersected 11.97 g/t...
Resources Top 5: FIN’s Maiden Drilling Strikes Wide Sulphide Zones at Cabin Lake
FIN Resources reported its maiden drilling at the Cabin Lake gold project in Canada, intersecting 114 m of massive sulphide mineralisation at the Arrow prospect. Historical drilling at Arrow has returned high‑grade zones such as 31.4 m at 15.2 g/t Au, bolstering the...
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Further Tightens Screws On Minerals Beneficiation
Zimbabwe's cabinet approved a strict minerals‑beneficiation framework that mandates a Value‑Added Compliance Certificate for every export permit and creates a decentralized network of university‑based analytical hubs. The policy follows a recent blanket ban on raw lithium exports and seeks to...
Earthquake Forces Underground Stoppage at Cadia
Newmont has suspended all underground operations at its Cadia mine in New South Wales after a 4.5‑magnitude earthquake struck the area on Tuesday evening. The quake’s epicentre was just 3 km from the site, making it the strongest seismic event recorded...
R-Evolution Adding a New Dimension to Airborne Imagery at Vale Legacy Mine Site
Hexagon’s R‑evolution has launched hybrid airborne imagery and LiDAR missions over Vale’s 1,908‑ha Mina de Águas Claras legacy mine in Brazil. Using Leica Geosystems’ hybrid system, the flights will map more than 20 sq km at 10‑cm resolution, generating a high‑density 3‑D...
Hancock, Wright and Rhodes in Supreme Court Reckoning
After decades of litigation, the Hancock and Wright families are now before Western Australia’s Supreme Court over royalty rights to the Hope Downs mine. Recent evidence suggests the Wright heirs are entitled to a share of the mine’s lucrative royalties....
Larvotto Closes in on First Antimony Ingots at NSW Mine
Larvotto Resources is on track to start producing antimony, gold and tungsten at its Hillgrove mine in New South Wales by mid‑2026, with the processing plant undergoing a US$46 million refurbishment and slated for wet commissioning in August. The project will...
Wirtgen: Flexibility, Precision Guarantee the Right Material Size
Wirtgen introduced the Vario Impact Sizer (VIS) for its 220 SM(i) 3.8 surface miner, delivering precise, on‑drum control of maximum particle size in opencast mining. The system uses a split baffle plate with five gap settings and four scraper‑hole cover positions, allowing...
Copper Output Remains Lofty
Global copper smelting activity rose in March, driven primarily by China, which saw its inactive capacity decline for a second consecutive month. Worldwide inactive smelter capacity fell to 11.7%, while the active capacity reached a record 10.73 million metric tons, up...
Brent Crude Edges up Ahead of Fresh US-Iran Talks
Brent crude futures rose to $95.16 per barrel, up 0.39%, while U.S. WTI slipped to $91.04, down 0.26%. President Donald Trump signaled a second round of U.S.-Iran talks but confirmed he will not attend, and a U.S. destroyer ordered two...
Sierra Nevada Sets the Stage for As Safra Drilling with High-Grade Copper and Gold Samples
Sierra Nevada Gold announced that rock‑chip sampling at its As Safra project in Saudi Arabia returned exceptionally high grades, including up to 7.63% copper and 32.9 g/t gold. The 60‑sample program highlighted a 400 m high‑grade corridor in the Central Gold Zone and...
Australian Developer Moves Ahead with Modular Green Hydrogen Production Plant
InterContinental Energy (ICE) announced it has secured up to AUD 1.6 million ($1.14 million) in Australian federal funding to develop a digital twin for its patented P2(H2)Node modular system. The company also signed the first licence for the node, marking the transition from...
Waratah Minerals Drilling Keeps Extending High-Grade Gold Mineralisation at Spur Project
Waratah Minerals' aggressive 10‑rig drilling campaign at its Spur project in New South Wales has extended high‑grade gold mineralisation in both the Consols and Spur zones. In the Consols zone, hole SPD025 added 75 m of strike continuity and 100 m up‑dip,...
Gold Mine Stops Underground Operations After magnitude-4.5 Earthquake
Newmont’s Cadia gold mine in New South Wales halted all underground operations after a magnitude‑4.5 earthquake struck just west of the site on April 15. The tremor, the strongest ever recorded in the Central West region, prompted an immediate evacuation...
YOLOv11 Model Detects Unsafe Coal Mining Behaviors
Researchers have enhanced the YOLOv11 object‑detection framework with attention and anchor‑optimization modules to identify unsafe miner behaviors in underground coal mines. The dual‑model system, combining YOLOv11 and YOLOv11‑Pose, achieved 95.7% mean average precision, 95.3% accuracy and 95.1% recall on a...