The Critical Minerals Journal (Substack)

[CW6] The Washington Minerals Summit (and Its Derivatives), Oak Ridge’s Renaissance, and the Uranium Policy Wave

The episode reviews a wave of concrete investments and policy moves across critical minerals, highlighting the Washington ministerial where the US stepped back from price‑floor schemes while Australia pressed ahead with its Strategic Reserve, and Brazil’s Serra Verde secured a $565 million DFC loan with a potential US equity stake. It details a rapid build‑out of U.S. uranium enrichment capacity at Oak Ridge, alongside nuclear acceleration in Sweden, Poland, India, and South Korea, signaling a global push for nuclear power. Copper prices slipped due to soft Chinese demand, yet analysts warn of a structural deficit, while lithium prices retreated after a speculative rally, though demand remains buoyed by EVs and growing energy‑storage markets.