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Challenges in critical minerals supply threaten global energy transitions – by Marleny Arnoldi (Mining Weekly – November 22, 2024)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

An unprecedented surge in demand for critical minerals on the back of global transitions to clean energy is posing significant challenges in meeting these goals, as the critical minerals sector experiences various challenges, says data and analytics company GlobalData.

“The global transition to clean energy is gaining momentum, heavily relying on renewable technologies such as solar PV cells and wind turbines, alongside energy transition solutions like hydrogen, energy storage and carbon capture,” GlobalData explains, adding that this growing demand is putting pressure on minerals supply.

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BHP bets billions on Chile mines to face global copper crunch – by Daina Beth Solomon and Fabian Cambero(Reuters – November 22, 2024)

https://www.xm.com/

BHP Group expects a global copper deficit of 10 million metric tons a decade from now, a shortfall that is driving its plans to spend at least $11 billion at the world’s biggest copper mine, Escondida, and other projects in Chile.

BHP detailed to investors this week plans to spend $10.7 billion to $14.7 billion within about 10 years to extract more copper from Escondida and the smaller Spence mine, and restart the Cerro Colorado mine. The world’s biggest listed miner’s annual production is set to fall by around 300,000 tons to 1.6 million tons by the end of the decade, largely driven by a slump at Escondida that is expected to peak in 2025.

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Prony Resources gears up for nickel production restart at Goro mine (Mining Technology – November 19, 2024)

https://www.mining-technology.com/

The Goro mine in southern New Caledonia produces 57,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of nickel and 5,000tpa of cobalt.

Nickel miner Prony Resources New Caledonia will recommence operations at its Goro mine and battery-grade nickel production plant, located in the south of New Caledonia, after a six-month suspension caused by local riots in the French territory, reported Bloomberg.

The return of the workforce marks a significant step for Prony Resources, one of the three major nickel producers in New Caledonia.

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Vince Beiser on the Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future – by Catherine Putz (The Diplomat – November 18, 2024)

https://thediplomat.com/

“The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables is a crucial part of the cure for climate change. But it’s a cure with brutal side effects.”

The world, journalist Vince Beiser says, is moving into the “Electro-Digital Age” and at the heart of this new era is a set of ancient, naturally occurring minerals: metals. The critical metals necessary to run the modern world and, importantly, required to power the energy transition away from fossil fuels also produce extraordinary consequences for humanity and the planet.

In “Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future,” Beiser charts a court across the world to understand how these metals are moved from the earth to our technology, and the competition that has arisen around them.

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Lithium in Nascent Rebound, But Long-Term Outlook Is Bleak – by Annie Lee (Bloomberg News – November 14, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Lithium is enjoying a mini-revival on an uptick in Chinese electric vehicle demand and supply cuts, although analysts caution there’s still likely to be a surplus of the battery metal in 2025.

Chinese lithium carbonate spot prices have rallied around 8% since late October and are now at a three-month high, while futures on the Guangzhou exchange have jumped 13% so far this week. An expansion in Chinese subsidies encouraging people to trade in older cars has aided the nascent rebound in the metal that’s crucial to the energy transition.

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Troubled Mineral Resources Halts Lithium Mine as Woes Mount – by Paul-Alain Hunt (Bloomberg News – November 12, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Embattled Australian miner Mineral Resources Ltd. will immediately shut its Bald Hill lithium project, citing the crash in prices of the key battery material.

The Western Australia mine, capable of producing 150,000 tons of spodumene concentrate a year, was acquired by Mineral Resources last year. The announcement of its closure comes after the company said earlier this month that founder billionaire Chris Ellison will step down as managing director after an internal probe into undeclared payments found he had engaged in “profoundly disappointing” conduct.

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Indonesia’s Small Islands Pay the Price for Nickel Mining – by Firdaus Cahyadi (China Global South Project – November 11, 2024)

https://chinaglobalsouth.com/

The push for electric vehicles (EVs) promises a cleaner future, but the production of their batteries comes at a steep cost to Indonesia’s small islands. Nickel, a critical component in many EV batteries, has spurred mining activities that devastate local ecosystems and communities.

Nickel batteries—particularly Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM)—dominate the EV market, accounting for 60% of market share, according to the Global EV Outlook 2023. While alternatives like Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) are gaining traction, the demand for nickel remains robust. In July 2024, global EV sales increased by 21% compared to the previous year, with Chinese-made vehicles leading at 800,000 units sold.

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After Trump’s win, mining near BWCAW back in play – by Jimmy Lovrien (Duluth News Tribune – November 11, 2024)

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

In July, President-elect Trump vowed to reverse Biden’s mineral withdrawal on 225,000 acres of federal land in the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in “about 10 minutes.”

ELY — President-elect Donald Trump has promised to reverse the Biden administration’s 20-year mining ban on federal land within the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, bolstering the hopes of copper-nickel mining industry supporters but worrying environmentalists who fear pollution to the downstream wilderness area.

The mineral withdrawal, which bans mining on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest until 2043, and non-renewal of key federal mineral leases to Twin Metals’ proposed copper-nickel mine effectively killed the company’s plan to build an underground mine and tailings-storage facility processing plant along Birch Lake, which flows into the BWCAW via the Kawishiwi River.

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Global Lithium raises alarm over potential foreign takeover – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – November 8, 2024)

https://www.mining.com/

Australia’s Global Lithium Resources (ASX: GL1) is seeking to postpone its upcoming annual shareholder meeting until March next year due to concerns over a potential breach of foreign ownership rules.

The West Perth-based developer fears that Chinese national and minority shareholder Liaoliang “Leon” Zhu is attempting to gain control of the firm and its assets located near Kalgoorlie by joining the board and reducing the number of directors.

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US Election: what a Trump or Harris victory means for critical minerals – by Caroline Peachey (Mining Technology – November 4, 2024)

https://www.mining-technology.com/

Both candidates have pledged their support for mining and recognise the strategic importance of critical minerals for the energy transition and national security.

In the most anticipated political event of the year, the 2024 US presidential elections will see Kamala Harris and Donald Trump battle for America’s vote on 5 November. It is an extremely tight race. Polls are predicting a “knife-edge” result, with outcomes in seven swing states set to decide who will become the next US president.

Both candidates have pledged their support for mining and recognise the strategic importance of critical minerals for the energy transition and national security. Here, Mining Technology looks at how critical minerals policy could be impacted by the election outcome.

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NEWS RELEASE: NORWAY HOUSE CREE NATION IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT IT HAS PURCHASED THE MINAGO NICKEL PLATINUM GROUP ELEMENTS PROJECT FROM FLYING NICKEL MINING CORP. (November 1, 2024)

Economic Benefits of over $700M and Approximately 500 Direct Jobs for Manitoba First Nations  

The Chief and Council of Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN) has been working with Flying Nickel for 4 years to advance this project. The NHCN purchase of the project was supported by 99% of all Flying Nickel shareholders in the Special Meeting held on October 21, 2024.

Chief Larson Anderson of NHCN confirms that “By taking full control with 100% ownership and management, we can drive this project forward, focus on the environment, maximize employment, and build economic opportunities for our people.”

The Minago Project is located on the NHCN Resource Management Area, 107 km north of Grand Rapids and 450 km north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, adjacent to Highway 6. The Minago project property comprises 94 mining claims, covering 192.36 km2, and two mining leases, covering 4.25 km2 along with the core storage and management facility in Grand Rapids.

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Ontario chamber boss bullish on Sudbury, Northern Ontario – by Hugh Kruzel (Sudbury Star – October 28, 2024)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

‘What is produced here is essential to our economic future,’ Daniel Tisch Echevarría says, referring to the mining sector

Northern Ontario and Sudbury are keys to the province’s economic prosperity, the president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce says. Daniel Tisch Echevarría made the observations last week during the 129th annual general meeting of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce.

“When you sit in Toronto you see a lot of data,” Tisch said. “When asked if businesses across the province are confident in themselves they say yes.

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Opinion: For European automakers, China goes from gift to threat – by Eric Reguly (Globe and Mail – October 31, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

China, the world’s biggest market for just about everything, was a boon for Europe’s biggest car companies, especially the German ones. Many of them formed local joint ventures and made fortunes as wealthy Chinese spurned cheapo domestic brands and snapped up Volkswagens, Mercedes, BMWs and other European and American showroom delights.

As recently as 2020, foreign brands’ share of total Chinese auto sales (gasoline, diesel, hybrid and fully electric) was nearly two-thirds. Today, it’s 37 per cent – and falling. China is no longer the gift that keeps on giving. Homegrown Chinese cars, notably the electric ones, are moving up the quality and value chain fast and sending the foreign nameplates packing.

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Nevada lithium mine wins final approval despite potential harm to endangered wildflower – by Scott Sonner (Associated Press – October 24, 2024)

https://apnews.com/

RENO, Nev. (AP) — For the first time under President Joe Biden, a federal permit for a new lithium-boron mine has been approved for a Nevada project essential to his clean energy agenda, despite conservationists’ vows to sue over the plan they insist will drive an endangered wildflower to extinction.

Ioneer Ltd.’s mine will help expedite production of a key mineral in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles at the center of Biden’s push to cut greenhouse gas emissions, administration officials said Thursday in Reno. Acting Deputy Interior Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis said bolstering domestic lithium supplies is “essential to advancing the clean energy transition and powering the economy of the future.”

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Massive lithium deposit found across southeastern US could end reliance on imports – by Shane Galvin (New York Post – October 23, 2024)

https://nypost.com/

A new geological survey has discovered enough lithium to meet global demand for the next six years. The study, led by the United States Geological Survey, discovered between 5 million and 19 million tons of lithium reserves in a rock formation in the southern part of the continental US, Fox Business reported.

Scientists derived samples from the Arkansas portion of the Smackover Formation – which spans six states from Florida’s Gulf Coast, through parts of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and stretching across Texas.

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