Russia is temporarily limiting exports of enriched uranium to the US, creating potential supply risks to utilities operating American reactors that generate almost a fifth of the country’s electricity.
The Russian government didn’t provide details of the restrictions or their duration in a Friday statement on Telegram. Utilities tend to make purchases well in advance, so any impact is unlikely to be immediate.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/
The humble bird, which was employed until 1986, represents an important part of mining history
Never mind the gas—it was automation that got them in the end. Throughout much of the 20th century, chirping canaries were staples of the coal mining industry. As coal miners descended into the earth—entering a harsh environment often home to poisonous gases like carbon monoxide—they would bring the yellow birds along as safety mechanisms.
Because carbon monoxide is clear and odorless, miners needed a method for detecting a leak before it killed them. In the mine, a canary’s collapse let workers know there was poisonous gas in the air and gave them some warning time to evacuate.
Niger has called on Russian firms to directly invest in uranium and other natural resource production, following the collapse of relations with former colonial ruler France and the eviction of French nuclear giant Orano from the country
Niger’s recent diplomatic shift away from France towards Russia has marked a turning point in the nation’s resource management strategy, particularly concerning its abundant uranium reserves.
Following the military coup in July 2023, which resulted in the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s military junta has been taking increasingly bold steps to redefine its international partnerships, especially in the critical mining sector.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/
George Christidis is the interim chief executive of the Canadian Nuclear Association. Heather Exner-Pirot is the director of Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
Advocates of nuclear energy tout its environmental and economic benefits, but there are also compelling geopolitical reasons to pursue nuclear.
Energy security concerns have thrust nuclear forward as a critical solution for many countries traditionally dependent on, or integrated with, Russian nuclear energy and gas supplies. Their desire to disentangle their energy systems from Russia presents Canada the opportunity to use its nuclear expertise and supply chain to contribute to European energy security.
Geopolitical challenges, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China-US competition, elections and the war in Israel, significantly impact the global supply chain, especially critical raw materials vital for traditional industries, defence, high-tech sectors, aerospace and green energy.
Democracies rely on essential critical raw materials such as nickel, lithium and aluminium. The market for critical minerals has doubled to over $320 billion in the last five years and is expected to double again in the next five.
Velta LLC unveiled a groundbreaking method for titanium production, marking a significant departure from the traditional Kroll method established in 1940.
Renowned for its exceptional tensile strength, lightweight nature, biocompatibility, and resistance to extreme temperatures, titanium is highly valued across various industries. Despite its advantages, the environmental toll and the lack of adaptability of traditional production methods have long been limitations. Ukraine boasts one of the world’s most abundant titanium reserves, critical to its economy but recently compromised by the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.
“The war has had an extremely negative impact on Ukraine’s titanium industry. However, we’ve already invested more than $7 million and continue attracting investments, which are now at the stage of negotiations. We saw an opportunity to rethink how titanium is produced. The result is so innovative, it deserves to be an element of its own.” — Andriy Brodskyy, founder and CEO, Velta LLC
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s last coal-fired power plant is closing on Monday, ending 142 years of coal-generated electricity in the nation that sparked the Industrial Revolution.
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar station in central England is finishing its final shift at midnight after more than half a century of turning coal into power. The U.K. government hailed the closure as a milestone in efforts to generate all of Britain’s energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Rio Tinto is boosting efforts to win public support for its $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project in Serbia, which has been halted since 2022 because of stern opposition due to environmental concerns.
The world’s second largest miner has been pushing since to resume work on the project, expected to be Europe’s biggest mine of the battery metal. With projected production of 58,000 tonnes of refined battery-grade lithium carbonate per year, Jadar could supply enough lithium to power one million electric vehicles and meet 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/
A Russian-British mining executive has launched an attempt to build an international copper-mining portfolio with the purchase of a Turkish mine and will soon set his sights on Canada.
Earlier this month, Artem Volynets, the chairman and CEO of ACG Metals Ltd., which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, announced an investment of US$290-million in the Gediktepe mine in western Turkey. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, he said the purchase marked the first step of his “company’s vision to roll up the copper sector through a series of acquisitions.”
LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) – Russian president Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that Moscow should consider capping exports of nickel in retaliation for Western sanctions has been greeted with a collective shrug by the market.
The London Metal Exchange three-month price has managed a weak bounce through the $16,000-per metric ton level but the momentum is already fading. This is a far cry from February 2022, when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Fears that metal from Russian giant Norilsk Nickel might have sanctions imposed generated a monster rally in 2022 that morphed into a full-blown meltdown of the LME nickel market.
The mining giant Rio Tinto is moving ahead with a novel form of lithium extraction in Serbia’s Jadar Valley. Powerful governments want to see it succeed. But critics say it could contaminate drinking water for a third of the population.
On her way to sing at a birthday party last month, Croatian pop star Severina Vučković was stopped and questioned about her political views by Serbian authorities. Around the same time, Aleksandar Matković started receiving death threats on Telegram.
https://www.mining-technology.com/
Friends of the Earth and South Lakeland Action on Climate Change (SLACC) challenged the then Conservative Government’s approval in 2022.
London’s High Court ruled on Friday (13 September) that the 2022 approval of West Cumbria Mining’s deep coal mine was unlawful. The mine was set to become the UK’s first new deep coal mine in decades until Friends of the Earth and the SLACC challenged the then-Conservative Government’s approval in early 2023.
MOSCOW, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow should consider limiting exports of uranium, titanium and nickel in retaliation for Western sanctions. Putin’s remarks to government ministers prompted a rise in nickel prices and drove shares in uranium mining firms higher.
In televised comments, he said such restrictions could also be introduced for other commodities, and noted that Russia was a major producer of natural gas, diamonds and gold.
(Bloomberg) — Poland is seeking to amend plans for utilities to spin off their coal assets, according to the minister in charge of managing state assets.
The European Union’s most coal-dependent nation has struggled with its energy transition, with the previous administration failing to complete a plan to separate the coal assets from utilities and move them to a separate entity — known as NABE — all in one go.
The president of the National Bank of Poland, Adam Glapinski, recently revealed that the central bank would continue to buy gold, and is aiming for the precious metal to make up 20% of the bank’s reserves.
The National Bank of Poland (NBP), also known as the Narodowy Bank Polski, became the joint biggest gold buyer amongst central banks in the second quarter of 2024, tying with India, according to the World Gold Council. This was after the NBP bought approximately 19 tonnes of the precious metal.
The president of the National Bank of Poland, Adam Glapinski, also said earlier this year that the central bank was planning to ensure that gold made up 20% of its reserves. At present, gold accounts for about 14.7% of the NBP’s reserves.
