Blue Moon Apex Deal Underscores Gallium, Germanium Supply Push, Refining Gap
Blue Moon Metals completed its acquisition of the Apex mine, a former U.S. producer of gallium, germanium and copper, to re‑establish domestic supply of these critical metals. The deal includes a 0.5% net smelter return royalty for Teck and positions Apex as a potential source of 100% of U.S. germanium demand and up to 100% of gallium for the next decade. Prices for gallium and germanium have surged six‑ to eight‑fold since China imposed export controls, intensifying Western interest. However, the lack of dedicated smelting capacity for gallium remains a key obstacle, and rising tungsten prices could divert Blue Moon’s focus toward its Springer tungsten project.
Rio Tinto Eyes Arizona Copper Mine by Mid-2030s
Rio Tinto has won a lengthy legal battle, gaining control of the land needed for its Resolution Copper project in Arizona. The miner launched a $500 million drilling program to explore the remaining 30% of the deposit that was previously inaccessible....
Ukraine Targets Ust-Luga
Ukraine’s armed forces escalated their campaign against Russian energy infrastructure by launching drone strikes on the Baltic Sea port of Ust‑Luga. The attack sparked a large fire and video footage released by the Leningrad region governor shows significant damage to...
Kenmare Suspends Dividend, Cuts Staff to Stabilise Finances
Kenmare Resources announced it will suspend its 2025 final dividend and cut about 15% of its Moma workforce as weak titanium feedstock prices and a delayed WCP A upgrade pressure its finances. The company posted a $23.7 million adjusted loss for...
Rio's Boyne Aluminium Smelter Lands $2B Handout
Rio Tinto has secured a landmark $2 billion taxpayer‑funded package from the Queensland and Australian governments to support its Boyne aluminium smelter, the second‑largest in the country. The agreement also bundles roughly $7.5 billion in green‑energy investments aimed at decarbonising the plant...
3ME Achieves Major Milestone with IECEx Certification for BladeVOLT Battery System
Australian specialist 3ME Technology has secured IECEx hazardous‑area certification for its BladeVOLT battery system, a milestone after eight years of engineering and testing. The certification, based on IEC 60079 standards, validates the system’s ability to operate safely in explosive underground...
Rio Tinto Secures Power Deal to Keep Boyne Aluminium Smelter Lights On
Rio Tinto, the Queensland and Commonwealth governments have sealed a A$2 bn ($1.4 bn) partnership to guarantee power for the Boyne aluminium smelter through 2040, extending its competitive edge beyond the current contract that expires in 2029. The deal builds on Rio...
Golden Dragon Flags Million-Ounce-Plus Gold Potential in WA
Golden Dragon Mining announced that its Cue project in Western Australia targets a million‑ounce‑plus gold resource after an independent review of 14 priority targets. The 600‑square‑kilometre land package hosts over 50 km of mineralised shear zones comparable to other orogenic gold...
Australian Critical Minerals Approaches First Drilling of Flint Gold-Silver Targets
Australian Critical Minerals (ASX:ACM) is set to commence its maiden diamond drilling at the Flint gold‑silver project in northern Peru on March 31. The program will test two high‑sulphidation epithermal systems within a 4‑km corridor that sits in a prolific...
Parliamentary Hearing to Examine Future of Critical Minerals Sector
Australia’s House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries will hold its first public hearing on March 26 to scrutinize the nation’s critical minerals sector. The inquiry ties into the government’s $22.7 billion Australian Future Made plan—about US$15 billion—highlighting processing capabilities as a...
Astral Resources Weaves a Golden Web with High-Grade Spargoville Hits
Astral Resources reported high‑grade gold intersections from its latest 39‑hole, 4,234‑metre infill and extension program at the Wattle Dam Complex in the Spargoville project. Highlights include a 13‑metre interval grading 7.1 g/t Au with a 2‑metre sub‑zone at 34.6 g/t, and multiple...
Pioneer Steps Into US Defence Supply Chain Spotlight with DIBC Entry
Pioneer Minerals has been accepted into the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC), linking its Idaho North Pine tungsten project to defence supply‑chain initiatives. Membership gives Pioneer direct access to government agencies, contractors and potential non‑dilutive funding to boost domestic...
Thailand Court Holds Gold Mine Operator Liable in Landmark Environmental Class Action
A Thai court ruled that Akara Resources, operator of the Chatree gold mine, is liable for environmental damage and health harms suffered by more than 300 villagers in Phichit and Phetchabun provinces. The judgment marks Thailand’s first environmental class‑action suit,...
West Coast Silver Drilling to Grow Elizabeth Hill Silver Footprint
West Coast Silver has launched a 4,000‑metre reverse‑circulation drilling campaign at its Elizabeth Hill silver project in Western Australia, targeting extensions of high‑grade mineralisation along the Munni Munni Fault. The program aims to delineate shallow, near‑surface ore that could support...
Magnetic Lifts Lady Julie Underground Production Target in WA
Magnetic Resources has lifted the underground production target for its wholly‑owned Lady Julie gold project in Western Australia to roughly 13 million tonnes at 2 g/t gold, following scoping‑level optimisation. The revised plan forecasts a 14‑19‑year underground mine life with annual output...
Second Diamond Hole Underway as Lodestar Chases Scale at Chile IOCG Target
Lodestar Minerals has begun a second diamond drill hole at its Three Saints IOCG project in northern Chile, following a maiden hole that intersected visible copper‑bearing sulphides from 190 m to 600 m depth. The new hole is being sunk vertically to...
Expro to Deliver Geothermal Well Testing for Vulcan Energy’s Lionheart Project in Germany
Expro has secured a contract to provide geothermal well‑testing services for the first Schleidberg well of Vulcan Energy’s Lionheart project in Germany. The Lionheart initiative, classified under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, aims to pair geothermal power generation with...
New Cat® 6040 Mining Shovel to Help Mining Operations Improve Productivity & Efficiency
Caterpillar unveiled the next‑generation Cat 6040, a 400‑ton class hydraulic mining shovel designed to boost material movement while curbing fuel use and downtime. The machine pairs twin 1,550 kW Cat C32B engines with a variable‑flow hydraulic system that delivers up to 15%...
Fenner Conveyors Takes Major Circularity Step with Launch of INFINITYSERIES Recycled-Content Belts
Fenner Conveyors, a Michelin Group subsidiary, launched the INFINITYSERIES, a new conveyor‑belt line that incorporates 10% locally sourced recycled material. Unveiled at the K‑MIX Material Innovation Hub, the belts target heavy‑industry applications such as mining, ports, processing and agriculture while...
Pan American Announces Revised PEA for the La Colorada Skarn Project, Positions La Colorada as a Future Top-Tier Silver Mine
Pan American Silver released a revised Preliminary Economic Assessment for its 100% owned La Colorada Skarn Project in Zacatecas, Mexico, outlining a 15,000‑tonne‑per‑day plant and a 37‑year mine life. The plan combines newly identified high‑grade veins with the existing skarn deposit,...
Erdene Announces 2025 Results - Provides Bayan Khundii Gold Mine and Exploration Update
Erdene Resource Development completed construction of the high‑grade Bayan Khundii Gold Mine in Q3 2025 and began production in September, selling 7,434 oz of gold at a weighted‑average $4,187 per ounce, generating roughly $31 million in gross revenue. The mill operates near its 85,000‑oz...
Federal Offshore Critical Minerals Leasing Gains Momentum Near CNMI
On March 18, 2026 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued an Area Identification Recommendation covering more than 69 million acres offshore the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, effectively doubling the original 35.5‑million‑acre request for information. The recommendation advances Executive...
$16 Million Awarded for Breakthrough Metal-Recovery Innovations
The NSF‑backed Tech Metal Transformation Challenge, run through Stride Ventures, awarded roughly $16 million to eight winning teams for metal‑recovery technologies. Each winner receives up to $2 million in the first 10‑month stage, with potential follow‑on funding of $2.5 million and $3 million for...
Ghana’s Mining Contractor & Owner Operator E&P to Invest US$1.2 Billion at Tarkwa and Damang
Ghanaian contract mining firm Engineers & Planners (E&P) announced a $1.2 billion investment to expand its operations at Gold Fields’ Tarkwa and Damang gold mines. The plan includes deploying 30 Caterpillar 785D haul trucks and builds on a prior $650 million outlay...
North America Drops 21 Rigs Week on Week
North America’s weekly rig count fell by 21 units to 729, with the United States slipping one rig to 552 and Canada losing 20 rigs, down to 177. U.S. oil rigs rose two while gas rigs fell two, and Canada’s...
Malawi: Parliament Proposes Higher Mining Fees and Dollar Payments for Foreign Investors to Boost Malawi's Revenue and Forex
Malawi's Parliament has tabled a proposal to raise mining fees and require foreign investors to pay in US dollars, aiming to increase state revenue and alleviate chronic foreign‑exchange shortages. The minimum fee for local firms would jump from K10,000 (≈$10)...
Zijin’s Congo Lithium Mine to Rank Among World’s Biggest
Zijin Mining Group’s Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is slated for commissioning in June and will become one of the world’s largest hard‑rock lithium operations. At full capacity it will produce 130,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate...
Record Gold Prices Fail to Lift SA Output
South Africa’s gold production has stalled at roughly 90 tons a year, a sharp decline from its 1970 peak of 1,000 tons, despite a 60% surge in gold prices over the past year. Dwindling reserves, labor unrest and the extreme...
UP Cabinet Approves ₹2,242 Crore for Pashwara South Coal Block in Jharkhand
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved a ₹2,242.9 crore (≈ $270 million) investment for the Pashwara South coal block in Jharkhand. The block, allocated to joint venture NUPPL, will supply coal to the Ghatampur thermal power project in Kanpur, which comprises three 660 MW units,...
Addressing Lithium Supply Risks for U.S. Battery Resilience
The United States relies on foreign sources for more than 90% of the lithium used in its batteries, exposing warehouses, manufacturers and logistics networks to geopolitical risk and price volatility. With global demand projected to quintuple by 2040, policymakers and...
More Steps Being Taken to Advance Promising South African Uranium/Gold Endowment
Neo Energy Metals announced negotiations with Sibanye‑Stillwater to obtain unrestricted access to the New Beisa Complex, a combined uranium‑gold site in South Africa’s Free State and Northern Cape. The company aims to restart mining at the former Beatrix 4 shaft and target...
Valaris Drillship Spins the Drill Bit at Equinor’s $9 Billion Brazilian Gas Project
Equinor has launched the drilling phase of its $9 billion Raia gas project off Brazil’s coast using Valaris' DS‑17 drillship. The campaign targets six pre‑salt wells in 2,900‑meter water, aiming for first gas production by 2028. The development will export up...
Despite Low Demand, China Drives 5% Increase in Iron Ore Shipments
Global iron ore shipments rose 5% year‑over‑year in the first 12 weeks of 2026, driven by stronger Chinese import demand. Yet Chinese steel production slipped 4% in the same period, pushing inventories to a record 179.5 million tonnes by March 12....
Celsius Linked to Fresh LNG Carrier Order at Samsung Heavy
Denmark’s Celsius Tankers has secured a new order for two 180,000 m³ LNG carriers from Samsung Heavy Industries, valued at roughly KRW 770 billion ($514 million). The vessels are scheduled for delivery through September 2028, adding to Celsius’s existing portfolio of about 24...
Advance Metals Expands Gold Footprint at Happy Valley with Strong Maiden Drilling Results
Advance Metals Limited announced that its maiden regional drilling at the Happy Valley Project in Victoria has identified new gold mineralization zones beyond the core deposit, expanding the known 13‑km trend. The Queen of the Hills prospect returned up to...
Pantera Completes First Modern Exploration Program at Historic US Silver–Antimony District
Pantera Minerals announced the completion of its first modern exploration program at the 100%‑owned Gillham Project in southwest Arkansas. Rock‑chip assays returned up to 3.92% antimony alongside strong silver, lead, gold and base‑metal grades, while soil sampling identified anomalies as...
Nigeria: Rutten - Predictability, Efficient Process Key to Unlocking Minerals Economy
The newly renamed Critical Minerals Financing Corporation (CMFC) Plc, led by veteran Lamon Rutten, announced its strategy to fund the entire minerals value chain in Nigeria, from exploration to downstream trading. Rutten says the company will use secured, asset‑backed financing...
Africa: Alake Advocates Regional Hubs to Power Africa's Mining Industry
Nigerian Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake called for creation of regional energy hubs to boost Africa’s mining industrialisation at the Powering Africa Summit in Washington. He highlighted that over $2.6 bn of foreign direct investment has flowed into Nigeria’s mining...
Nornickel Bets on AI to Find Palladium Uses
Nornickel, the world’s largest palladium producer, has launched a $100 million AI initiative to discover new uses for the metal as electric vehicles erode its traditional auto‑catalyst market. The Palladium Center, created in 2023, targets an additional 1.7 million ounces of annual...
Itochu Enters E-Waste Management with View to Rare Earths Recycling
Itochu Corp., one of Japan's largest trading houses, announced a joint venture with a U.S. firm to manage electronic waste and recover rare earth metals from devices such as laptops and smartphones. The company projects Japan's e‑waste management market to...
Rio Tinto Targets Broader Aluminium Footprint, Division CEO Says
Rio Tinto’s aluminium division is accelerating a global diversification strategy, adding projects in Europe, India and Brazil while expanding its low‑carbon AP60 smelter technology. The AP60 system, already operating in Quebec, reduces greenhouse‑gas emissions to about one‑seventh of the industry...
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait Push Energy Deals Despite War
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are pressing ahead with multibillion‑dollar energy transactions despite Iran’s recent attacks on regional oil and gas assets. Kuwait Petroleum aims to raise up to $7 billion by leasing part of its pipeline network, attracting private‑equity and infrastructure...
Russia Builds LNG Dark Fleet
Russia is expanding its clandestine LNG shipping network by acquiring three 20‑year‑old carriers that have been transferred to a newly created Turkish company and reflagged under Sierra Leone. The vessels are currently idle, sailing in ballast around the Cape of...
Dolphin Scheelite Supplies for Traxys
Group 6 Metals, the operator of the Dolphin scheelite project in Tasmania, has secured a multi‑year offtake extension with European trading house Traxys. The agreement is valued at roughly US$1.75 billion (about A$2.5 billion) and guarantees a minimum supply of 10,000 tonnes of tungsten...
Gemfields Girds Market for Loss, Debt Pressure
Gemfields, the leading ruby and emerald miner, warned it will post a loss for the 2025 financial year ending December, citing weak gemstone prices, a delayed expansion project, and operational disruptions such as illegal mining. The company expects a headline...
Ecuador Passes Mining Reforms as Solaris Resources (TSX:SLS) Advances Warintza Project
Ecuador’s National Assembly approved sweeping mining reforms with a 77‑70‑4 vote, introducing a three‑tier environmental authorization system and measures against illegal mining. The new framework aims to streamline permits for large‑scale projects while formalizing artisanal operations. Solaris Resources’ Warintza copper...
H3 Energy Helium Play Adds Spark to South Australia Gas Ambitions
Australian explorer H3 Energy has initiated a targeted helium assessment across the Milford and Milford East structures of its Alinya project in South Australia’s Officer Basin. The study follows Sproule ERCE’s independent estimate of up to 209 billion cubic feet of helium...
Africa: 'At Africa's First Our Ocean Conference, a Test of Global Will On High Seas Protection and Deep-Sea Mining'
The 11th Our Ocean Conference convenes in Mombasa and Kilifi, Kenya from June 16‑18, 2026, marking the first time the summit is hosted on African soil. Delegates will grapple with the newly effective High‑Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) and its implications...
Unearthing the Ground: Architecture and the Politics of Oil
Petroleum’s extraction, transport and petrochemical by‑products form a hidden architectural layer that reshapes cities worldwide. From Baku’s early oil‑filled coastline to Texas fields and Gulf complexes, oil infrastructure converts geological depth into economic value, dictating land division, road placement and...
Australia’s Worst Big Gold Miner Could Become A Star Performer
Northern Star Resources, Australia’s largest gold miner, saw its shares plunge 40% after a troubled upgrade at the Kalgoorlie Fimiston mine caused production downgrades and rising costs. The decline outpaced the 15% drop in gold prices, prompting a wave of...