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Asia Mining

China’s controls on graphite exports “a loud wakeup call” for the US, says Graphex CEO – by Amanda Stutt (Mining.com – November 16, 2023)

https://www.mining.com/

China announced last month it will require export permits for some graphite products in another bid to control critical mineral supply in response to challenges over its global manufacturing dominance.

China is the world’s top graphite producer and exporter. It also refines more than 90% of the world’s graphite into the material that is used in virtually all EV battery anodes. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence sees demand for graphite over the next decade growing at an annual compound rate of 10.5% but supply will lag, it says, expanding at only 5.7% per year.

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Indonesia to Trace Nickel in Bid for US Critical Minerals Deal – by Eko Listiyorini (Bloomberg News – November 16, 2023)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Indonesia plans to introduce nickel tracing and push local producers to reach global mining standards to help the country move closer to securing a critical minerals deal with the US.

Each ton of nickel ore sales will be tracked using the SIMBARA portal starting next quarter, Septian Hario Seto, a deputy at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, said in an interview.

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Exclusive: US, Indonesia to discuss potential for deal on EV minerals – by Trevor Hunnicutt and Ernest Scheyder (Reuters – November 12, 2023)

https://www.reuters.com/

WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) – The United States and Indonesia on Monday will discuss how to advance a potential minerals partnership aimed a stimulating trade of the electric vehicle (EV) battery metal nickel, according to three people with direct knowledge of the conversations.

Next steps that could move the countries toward formal negotiations on the partnership will be discussed when Indonesian President Joko Widodo visits the White House for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, according to one of the people.

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THE HISTORY, HERITAGE AND HYPE BEHIND GOLCONDA DIAMONDS – by Jack Ogden (The Gemmological Association of Great Britain – August 18, 2023)

https://gem-a.com/gem-hub/around-the-world/

Renowned jewellery historian and published author, Jack Ogden FGA, traces the history of Indian diamonds and questions the sustained marketing hype around the famous Golconda mines.

Today India is the largest centre for diamond cutting, handling some 90 percent of the world’s diamonds. But most who cut, sell or buy these diamonds, in the cutting centre of Surat or at the vast diamond exchange in Mumbai, are probably unaware that in the past the country was also the world’s major source of diamonds.

Exceptions are the dealers in larger stones, ones they hope a laboratory report might link to the famous Golconda mines in India, a link that allows a price premium.This article will look at India’s remarkable diamond history and ponder whether associating a diamond on the market with ‘Golconda’ is really just marketing hype.

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China’s strategic mineral supply push ‘a very urgent mission’, says resources minister, amid self-reliance push – by Kinling Lo (South China Morning Post – November 10, 2023)

https://www.scmp.com/

China should ramp up strategic mineral mining exploration to secure its supply chain in “extreme situations”, said natural resources minister Wang Guanghua, as Beijing increases its push for national security and self-reliance.

“At the moment, the country has not invested enough in the exploration of strategic minerals, while there is a slow down in the amount of new available resources,” Wang Guanghua wrote in the Economic Daily on Wednesday. The ongoing “redistribution” and “fierce competition for dominance” in the global supply chain has made mineral exploration a key to security, he added.

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China’s export restrictions on critical minerals are threatening the viability of EV makers–and forcing them to innovate – by Gene Berdichevsky (Fortune Magazine – November 9, 2023)

https://fortune.com/

Gene Berdichevsky is the CEO of Sila.

American policymakers and automakers just got a big wake-up call with China’s announcement that it will require a special export license for battery-grade graphite, effectively restricting exports. While other critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt receive more attention, graphite is equally essential for the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles, and the Chinese government currently controls more than 90% of the world’s supply.

Not only should the U.S. work to secure more reliable supplies of graphite to build a domestic battery supply chain and meet our clean energy goals but we must also prioritize innovative battery materials that improve performance and eliminate dependence on unstable supply chains.

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Vale will sell 14% stake in Vale Indonesia – minister (Reuters – November 10, 2023)

https://www.reuters.com/

JAKARTA, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Mining company Vale will sell a 14% stake in its Indonesian nickel miner Vale Indonesia (INCO.JK) to bring the holding by overseas firms below the maximum limit, Indonesia’s mining minister said on Friday.

Share divestment is a condition Indonesia requires to extend the operation permit for Vale Indonesia. Vale’s current contract is due to end in 2025. Under Indonesian rules, foreign investors are required to divest 51% of their stake to local buyers after a certain period of operation.

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Rare Earths in the South China Sea: Adding Fuel to the Geopolitical Fire – by Tobias Burgers and Scott N. Romaniuk (The Diplomat – November 9, 2023)

https://thediplomat.com/

Competition for rare-earth mineral wealth on the seafloor could lead to further tensions and even conflict.

As the green energy revolution continues to progress and gain traction in Europe, the United States, and China, there is a noticeable surge in the demand for rare-earth metals (REMs), which are among the vital building blocks for clean energy technology.

The 17 elements that make up REMs, also known as rare-earth elements, are lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium. Countries are actively seeking to acquire these vital resources, leading to a competitive race among nations.

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Indonesia and Nickel: Tracing the Path of Sustainability Through ESG Implementation – by Tuhu Nugraha(Modern Diplomacy – November 9, 2023)

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/

Nickel is an essential element in the global industry, used in the production of everything from stainless steel to electric car batteries. In line with the global shift towards green vehicles and the growing need for rechargeable batteries, the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that the demand for nickel will increase by at least 65% by 2030.

As the world’s largest nickel producer, Indonesia is expected to meet two-thirds of the global nickel needs, with billion-dollar investment agreements already in place to develop both processing plants and mining operations.

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China’s Ganfeng indefinitely postpones Mexican lithium target date amid gov’t spat – by Valentine Hilaire (Reuters – November 9, 2023)

https://www.reuters.com/

MEXICO CITY, Nov 9 (Reuters) – A recent government push to cancel Ganfeng Lithium’s concessions has forced the Chinese company to indefinitely postpone its target to start mining the battery metal in Mexico, a company executive told Reuters.

Mexican mining authorities have issued a notice to Ganfeng’s local subsidiaries indicating nine of its concessions had been canceled, saying it had failed to comply with minimum investment requirements, the company said in an August filing.

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Where China’s Lithium Monopoly Comes From – by Tim Worstall (The Diplomat – November 7, 2023)

https://thediplomat.com/

There is no shortage of raw lithium. China’s dominance of lithium processing is where the potential problem lies.

2,850,000 billion and 20 million: two numbers that can enlighten us all about the looming lithium shortage. That first is mine and therefore wrong – but it’s useful still.

Scientists think they know the rough composition of the crust of the Earth, the lithosphere. The percentage of each element contained is the Clarke Number. That times the known weight is how much is out there of each element. For lithium, that gives us 2,850,000 billion tonnes.

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Crackdown on illegal mining forces Indonesia to import nickel ore – by Mercedes Ruehl and Harry Dempsey (Financial Times – November 5, 2023)

https://www.ft.com/

Large shipments from the Philippines needed to keep smelters operating

Supply shortages caused by Indonesia’s crackdown on illegal nickel mining have forced the country to import large quantities of ore from the Philippines to keep smelters operating. Indonesia, the world’s largest nickel producer, has in recent months pursued a corruption investigation across the government that has led to delays in the issuance of quotas for nickel mining.

More than 53,000 tonnes of nickel ore and concentrates were shipped in May and June from the Philippines to Indonesia’s Morowali region, where Tsingshan, the world’s largest stainless steel producer, runs a large nickel smelting complex, official Indonesian customs data shows.

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Bears bet big that nickel can close the product gap – by Andy Home (Reuters – November 1, 2023)

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) – The bears are out in force on the London Metal Exchange (LME) nickel market. Fund players have lifted their bets on lower prices to levels last seen in 2019, or even earlier if expressed as a percentage of open interest.

It’s not hard to understand why. The LME three-month nickel price has been on the slide for most of the year, sucking in momentum-tracking technical funds. Currently trading around $18,000 per metric ton, nickel is down by 42% on the start of January and challenging chart support levels dating back to late 2021.

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Chinese companies are investing billions in Indonesia’s nickel industry — but working conditions can be deadly – by Hellena Souisa, Kai Feng and Sally Brooks (Australian Broadcasting Corporation – November 4, 2023)

https://www.abc.net.au/

Chinese electrician Mr Ding says he saw co-workers die, a crane catch fire and worked for “175 days straight” during an 18-month stint at two nickel refining sites in Indonesia. His experiences left him with a critical view of the Chinese companies he worked for.

“There’s an old Chinese saying that money makes the devil work,” Mr Ding said. The 42-year-old, who requested to be identified only by his surname, worked as an electrician at two nickel refining hubs in Sulawesi between 2017 and 2020.

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Mine Fire in Kazakhstan Kills 46, Accelerates Nationalization Talks – by Catherine Putz (The Diplomat – October 31, 2023)

https://thediplomat.com/

After years of safety problems, ArcelorMittal confirms its in talks to transfer ownership to Kazakhstan. But a change of ownership won’t necessarily make mining any safer.

When a fire broke out at the Kostenco coal mine in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region on October 28, 252 people were underground. Although 206 were safely evacuated to the surface, 46 miners died in the mine.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev did not mince words, calling ArcelorMittal – the international mining giant and parent company of ArcelorMittal Temirtau, which operates the Kostenco mine – “the worst in our history in terms of cooperation between the government and [a private] enterprise.”

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