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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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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The $2 Million Coal Mine That Might Hold a $37 Billion Treasure – by Julie Steinberg (Wall Street Journal – November 9, 2023)

https://www.wsj.com/

Wyoming discovery could be America’s first new source of rare-earth elements since 1952

Twelve years ago, former Wall Street banker Randall Atkins bought an old coal mine outside Sheridan, Wyo., sight unseen, for about $2 million. He thought the mine might eke out a profit. Instead, Atkins recently learned it could bring a windfall.

Several years after Atkins bought the Brook Mine, government researchers came around asking if they could run some tests to see if the ground contained something called “rare-earth elements.” When Atkins acquired the mine, he says he “didn’t know the difference between rare earths and rare coins.”

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What green energy transition? Half of mining still exploring for gold – by Frik Els (Mining.com – November 7, 2023)

https://www.mining.com/

New study shows a $1.1 billion drop in gold exploration budgets this year as juniors struggle to raise capital, but the precious metal still accounts for 46% of the total.

According to a new study by S&P Global Market Intelligence, overall mining exploration budgets fell this year for the first time since 2020, dropping 3% to $12.8 billion at the 2,235 companies that allocated funds to find or expand deposits.

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NEWS RELEASE: Biden-Harris administration provides $2 million to states to identify critical mineral potential in mine waste (United States Geological Survey – November 7, 2023)

https://www.usgs.gov/

The new agreements funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will support critical mineral mapping and the creation of a national mine waste inventory

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey has invested more than $2 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in cooperative agreements with 14 states to study the potential for critical mineral resources in mine waste. This funding will allow the USGS and these states to better map the locations of mine waste and measure the potential for critical minerals that might exist in that mine waste.

“These agreements are allowing us and the states to take a second look at places that were once known for their mineral production to see if there might yet be some new critical mineral potential, just waiting to be found,” said Darcy McPhee, program manager for the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI), which provided the funding for the agreements.

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Battery Metals Lose Luster as Surge in Supply Outpaces Demand (Bloomberg News – November 6, 2023)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

In the fast-moving world of battery metals, 2022 already feels like a bygone era. Back then, prices were soaring, automakers were fretting about long-term shortages and Elon Musk was describing lithium costs as “insane.”

A year-and-half on from the Tesla Inc. CEO’s comments, the market dynamics for metals crucial to the energy transition have flipped. Lithium has tumbled almost 70% so far this year, while nickel has plummeted around 40%. Cobalt too has dropped.

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The U.S. Can Counter China’s Control of Minerals for the Energy Transition – by By James Morton Turner(New York Times – November 6, 2023)

https://www.nytimes.com/

Dr. Turner is a professor of environmental studies at Wellesley College and the author, most recently, of “Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future.”

China recently rattled the world’s electric vehicle supply chains by announcing new export controls on graphite, a key component of lithium-ion batteries. If China uses the export controls, which take effect on Dec. 1, to reduce exports of graphite or to favor Chinese-owned companies operating abroad, it could slow down efforts to scale up advanced battery manufacturing globally.

Welcome to the geopolitics of the clean energy transition. Unlike in the 20th century, when China was largely a bystander in petroleum politics, the country has achieved new geopolitical significance by scaling up investments in clean energy manufacturing and the critical minerals that work requires.

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Mission critical: Europe eyes new suppliers in geopolitical race for metals – by Eurydice Bersi, Maxence Peigné and Maria Maggiore (Inestigate Europe – November 6, 2023)

https://www.investigate-europe.eu/

The EU is brokering deals with Africa and Latin America for critical raw materials. But it finds itself squeezed between China, Russia and the US for the minerals essential to the green transition.

“It is very important that Africa is not seen as a reservoir of raw materials that continues to be exploited by Westerners to create added value elsewhere.” The warning comes from Celine Tshizena Pegasus, a Congolese lawyer and advocacy director at Afrewatch, a natural resources watchdog.

In July, Afrewatch and dozens of international NGOs sent an open letter to the European Commission, slamming its strategy to source critical raw materials from the Global South. Deposits of minerals such as cobalt, lithium, nickel and rare earths are barely explored in Europe, let alone mined in the quantities required for the green transition.

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China’s Grip on Africa’s Minerals Sparks a US Response – by Matthew Hill (Bloomberg News – November 2, 2023)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — The US is going full steam ahead in its effort to catch up with China in a part of the world that’s become central to the green transition: Africa’s “Copperbelt.” Loaded with minerals critical to the production of batteries and other renewable energy components, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo have become the latest venue in the struggle for advantage between Washington and Beijing.

As part of its stated ambition to challenge China’s dominance, the Biden administration saw an opportunity to revitalize a century-old rail line linking key African mines to an Atlantic Ocean port. Called the Lobito corridor, the US is investing hundreds of millions of dollars on the project.

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Canada, U.S. must spur critical-mineral mining, refining at home to secure clean-energy shift, American envoy says – by Steven Chase (Globe and Mail – November 1, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The shift to clean energy from fossil fuels by Canadian and American governments will succeed or fail depending on whether they can obtain a sufficient supply of critical minerals to make electric-vehicle batteries, the U.S. ambassador to Canada says. Both countries need to build up their mining, refining and battery-making capacity quickly, David Cohen told a business audience Tuesday.

“We need to help each other to make this possible – to drive demand for electric vehicles, to help fund critical-mineral mines, and to move manufacturing, refining and mining back to North America, in a responsible way,” he said in a speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa. “The United States and Canada are investing billions to make all that happen.”

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Ottawa outlines eligibility for companies seeking $1.5B in critical minerals infrastructure funding – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – November 2, 2023)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ottawa is finally getting ready to accept applications for a $1.5-billion infrastructure fund to support critical minerals mines, with stakeholders in Ontario’s Ring of Fire hoping they will be among the recipients.

Natural Resources Canada announced Tuesday that projects eligible to apply for the new Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund include clean energy and transportation projects that support critical minerals mines. Eligible recipients include the private sector, the provinces and territories, and Indigenous groups.

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Metals and the invasion: Russian war reconfigures commodity supply flows – by Taylor Kuykendall (SP Global – February 21, 2023)

https://www.spglobal.com/

World traders have turned away from the Moscow-based economy in favor of trade with other suppliers of metals and mines as experts expect permanent changes to how the world thinks about its supply chains.

One year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, metals and mining trade flows have shifted as countries look to regionalize supply chains for crucial raw materials due to aversions to purchases that could support the Kremlin.

The start of the war in late February 2022 sent the price of many commodities skyrocketing, but buyers have adjusted after much of the world opted to bench Russian metal suppliers. However, Russian commodities are moving despite countries looking elsewhere for supplies, including by increasing domestic sourcing of crucial materials.

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Advancing critical mineral exploration research in Northern Ontario – by Dr Andrew P Dean (Innovation News Network – October 30, 2023)

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Dr Andrew P Dean, Vice-President of Research and Innovation at Lakehead University, discusses the future of sustainable critical mineral exploration and development in Northern Ontario.

Canada is a world leader in critical mineral exploration and mining technology. Northern Ontario, in particular, has long been viewed as one of the country’s major centres for mining activities.

However, there are challenges facing our region and the industry in general. Expenditures for critical mineral exploration are increasing, but discoveries of new mineral resources are in decline. Companies, governments and communities are tasked with finding ways to undertake sustainable economic development while also ensuring environmental protection and respect for constitutionally protected Indigenous and Treaty rights.

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Race to break China’s lithium stranglehold heats up – by Michael Smith (Australian Financial Review – October 30, 2023)

https://www.afr.com/

China’s dominance of the EV supply chain has raised global fears of a new trade war, as tensions between Beijing and Washington intensify over critical minerals.

Rows of multicoloured electric vehicles built by China’s BYD are the star attraction in Singapore’s Suntec City shopping mall. The glitzy showroom featuring discounted “Surf Blue” or “Parkour Red” Atto 3 model cars is often packed with customers – a reminder of China’s dominance of the electric vehicle market in Asia, and increasingly the world.

Further upstream, national champion CATL has quickly become the global leader in battery-making for EVs, powering one in three on the road worldwide today. The company and Shenzhen-based BYD have raced ahead of rivals in South Korea and Japan, leaving the US and Europe contemplating how to stoke an electric car industry without relying on China for the most important and costly piece of the puzzle.

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