Cobalt, Critical, Strategic and Rare Earth Minerals and Metals – Page 44

Ontario makes big promises with critical minerals plans but First Nations advocates remain concerned – by Heather Kitching (CBC News Thunder Bay – March 18, 2022)

March 22, 2022

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/

Premier Doug Ford aims to position Ontario as major supplier of rare earth metals amid green tech boom

Lawyers and advocates for First Nations in northern Ontario say they’re concerned the Ford government wants to press ahead with mining development in the Ring of Fire without properly involving First Nations or addressing their environmental concerns.

The government released its new critical minerals strategy Thursday at the Lac Des Iles mine, about 125 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, Ont., aimed at positioning Ontario as a provider of raw materials for items such as smart phones and electric vehicle batteries.

From Nickel to Cobalt, Chinese Mining Interests in Africa Face Challenges – by Kate Barlett (Voice of America – March 17, 2022)

March 18, 2022

https://www.voanews.com/

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — It is a metal found in products used by people worldwide, unthinkingly every day. Whether it’s scrolling on a mobile phone or commuting to work in an electric car, nickel is a key part of these high-tech devices. Now nickel — a prime component in batteries — has the markets in turmoil and one Chinese company facing billions of dollars in losses.

Chinese nickel giant Tsingshan Holding Group Co wagered that nickel prices would fall, but instead, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent the commodity’s trading prices through the roof last week, driven by concerns about disruptions to the Russian company Nornickel, one of the world’s largest suppliers.

NEWS RELEASE: GDP CONTRIBUTION FROM MINING IN ONTARIO EXPECTED TO GROW 25% BY 2025 (March 18, 2022)

March 18, 2022

New studies find that creating a favourable investment climate for mining contributes to significant GDP gains, as opportunities for industry growth have never been greater.

TORONTO, MARCH 18, 2022: A new report published by the Ontario Mining Association (OMA), in partnership with Ontario’s Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, State of the Ontario Mining Sector, forecasts that the GDP contribution from the mining industry in Ontario will grow 25% between 2020 and 2025, from an estimated total direct contribution of $7.5 billion in 2019 to an expected $9.3 billion by 2025.

The value of minerals produced by major mines in Ontario is also expected to grow by 32% and the number of full-time equivalent jobs sustained directly, indirectly and induced by mining will grow by almost 7%.

Doug Ford unveils mining strategy in Northern Ontario – by Robert Benzie (Toronto Star – March 17, 2022)

March 18, 2022

https://www.thestar.com/

Premier Doug Ford is mining for votes in Northern Ontario. With the June 2 election just 11 weeks away, Ford was at a massive mine outside Thunder Bay on Thursday to unveil a five-year, 53-page “critical minerals strategy” for the province.

The premier said it would serve as his Progressive Conservative government’s “blueprint” for bringing raw material resources from the north to manufacturers in southern Ontario.

Doug Ford to unveil strategy for ‘critical minerals,’ worth $3.5B to Ontario economy – by Mike Crawley (CBC News Toronto – March 17, 2022)

March 17, 2022

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/

EV batteries, smartphones and laptops drive growing demand for nickel, cobalt, lithium, platinum

Premier Doug Ford will unveil plans Thursday for Ontario to capitalize on the growing global demand for minerals that are crucial to technologies such as electric vehicle batteries, smartphones and laptops. The government provided CBC News with an advance copy of its “critical minerals” strategy, to be publicly released by Ford Thursday morning at a mine north of Thunder Bay.

Critical minerals — including nickel, cobalt, lithium, and platinum — are already a $3.5 billion-a-year industry in Ontario. They’re classed as critical because of their essential role in the production of specialized technologies. Their supply is also typically at higher risk than the rest of the mining sector because of geopolitics and market demand.

US government mandate to support nickel and zinc production (Mining Journal – February 23, 2022)

February 25, 2022

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

The latest list, released by the United States Geological Survey, contained 15 more commodities than the first list of critical minerals, which was created in 2018. The list has been officially updated after draft proposals were issued in November.

The list is designed to act as a trigger for government initiatives to improve domestic production, and diversity of supply, of key mineral. In practice this could unlock government support for junior minors and refining businesses in the US.

Biden voices support for new U.S. mines, if they don’t repeat past sins – by Ernest Scheyder and Steve Holland (Reuters – February 22, 2022)

February 24, 2022

https://www.reuters.com/

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday touted progress by government and private industry to boost American production of minerals used to make electric vehicles and other renewable energy products, but stressed that new mines must benefit host communities and not damage the environment.

Washington has grown increasingly concerned that low U.S. production of minerals essential for the construction of future technologies could leave it beholden to China and other nations that have heavily invested in mining.

Book Review–Cobalt: Cradle of the Demon Metals, Birth of a Mining Superpower – by Daniel Sekulich (Northern Miner – February 17, 2022)

February 18, 2022

https://www.northernminer.com/

As work continues to create a greener, cleaner future for the planet, the rush to find critical minerals that will spearhead the transition away from fossil-fueled energy has taken on a greater urgency. Explorers and developers are actively seeking out new sources of nickel, copper and lithium throughout the globe.

And then there’s cobalt, a metal whose ability to store energy has already made it crucial for everything from laptops to smartphones, and gives it an even more important role in the green revolution. This has led to a renewed interest in securing sources of the metal across Canada, including around the namesake community of Cobalt, in northern Ontario.

NEWS RELEASE: DOE Launches $140 Million Program to Develop America’s First-of-a-Kind Critical Minerals Refinery (Department of Energy – February 14, 2022)

February 18, 2022

https://www.energy.gov/

DOE Seeks Public Input on Building Rare Earth Element Facility to Turn Mine Waste into Vital Materials for Clean Energy Technology, Securing Domestic Supply Chain

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a Request for Information (RFI) on the design, construction and operation of a new facility to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of a full-scale rare earth element (REE) and critical minerals (CM) extraction and separation refinery using unconventional resources.

When built, this first-of-a-kind facility, supported by $140 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support American manufacturing jobs, and help build a strong domestic supply chain for the next generation of clean energy technologies vital to reaching President Biden’s goal of a net-zero emissions future.

Kinshasa is already Africa’s biggest city – could cobalt make it the richest? – by Jason Mitchell (Mining Technology – February 15, 2022)

February 17, 2022

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

Kinshasa has had a turbulent past but has started to prosper as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s economy expands at more than 6% a year.

Kinshasa – the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Africa’s greatest megacity – is poised to benefit from the massive copper and cobalt boom under way in the country.

In terms of population, it is the continent’s largest city with 17.1 million people living in the greater area, only slightly smaller than the Netherlands (17.7 million). It is projected to become the world’s biggest city with a whopping 35 million inhabitants by 2050, 58 million by 2075 and 83 million by the start of the next century.

Cobalt Powerhouse Doubles Down on Nickel – by Mark Burton (Bloomberg News – February 16, 2022)

February 17, 2022

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Specialty metals refiner Umicore SA is enjoying record profits as battery materials boom, but the company is racing to avert a slowdown in sales as its cobalt-heavy chemicals fall out of favor with carmakers.

The Brussels-listed company, which has been refining cobalt for more than 100 years, says the burgeoning electric-vehicle industry is switching to high-nickel batteries far faster than expected. Now Umicore is racing to do the same.

Temiskaming refinery developer lands key permit – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – February 10, 2022)

February 11, 2022

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Electra Battery Materials plans to flip the switch on international cobalt processing plant later this year

Electra Battery Materials has passed a major regulatory milestone toward restarting a Temiskaming metals refinery and is on a clear path to achieve another.

The aspiring Toronto-based chemical processor announced it has received its industrial sewage works permit from the province and has filed its closure plan on Jan. 19 for its proposed cobalt, nickel and manganese processing operation located outside the town of Cobalt.

Canada must invest in critical minerals – by Pierre Gratton and Brendan Marshall (Policy Options – February 10, 2022)

February 11, 2022

Policy Options – Institute for Research on Public Policy

To meet climate goals, the country not only needs to use battery materials, it should become a key world supplier.

Climate change is one of the key items on the agenda for this new session of Parliament which began Jan. 31 because the environment is one of the top issues for Canadians.

Mandate letters for the Trudeau cabinet ministers, released in mid-December, highlighted the importance of climate action and we expect the government to continue to concentrate on how Canada’s goals of a greener future can be realized.

Charlie Angus’s novel Cobalt reveals reality of mining – by Jamie Portman (Canada.com – February 2022)

February 10, 2022

https://o.canada.com/

“There’s something absolutely beguiling about these great mineral rushes,” Angus says.

There were the cockroach races that saw miners betting as much as a $1,000 on the outcome. There was the day vaudeville performer Daisy Primrose walked down the street in Harem pants, a new form of female apparel so scandalous that it had been condemned by the Pope. There’s even an appearance by a dog named Bobbie Burns who may well have been the inspiration for Hollywood’s most celebrated canine star.

So if Charlie Angus had wanted, he could easily have confined himself to delivering a robust history of Cobalt, the fabled Northern Ontario mining town in which the New Democrat MP has long lived. But although he is a born storyteller with a passion for popular history that matches the best of Pierre Berton and James H. Gray, Angus had a lot more on his mind when he set out to write his latest book, Cobalt.

This plan for US critical minerals works around supply chain woes – by Ned Rauch-Mannino (The Hill – February 5, 2022)

February 10, 2022

https://thehill.com/

Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) took a clear step toward national and economic security with the recent introduction of the Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths (REEShore) Act.

Building stronger the U.S. government’s role in the critical mineral conversation, REEShore provides for the storage of rare earth elements and ensures oversight of industry sourcing, a comprehensive approach working to guard against supply chain disruptions.