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Nickel

European electric car makers have a Russian nickel problem – by (Grist.org – April 22, 2022)

https://grist.org/

Europe may need Russian nickel to meet its climate goals — and Indigenous activists may need Europe to hold a Russian mining giant to account.

About two weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, a metal that plays a key role in batteries for electric vehicles, or EVs, was thrust suddenly into the spotlight. On March 8, the price of nickel doubled within hours on the London Metal Exchange, prompting the world’s leading metals market to shut down trading for the material.

The price spike occurred amidst fears that nickel from Russia, the world’s third-largest producer of the metal, would soon become “untouchable due to sanctions risk,” as one group of analysts put it.

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Musk’s tweets fuel mining industry’s hopes of a buyout by Tesla – by Ernest Scheyder (Reuters – April 19, 2022)

https://www.reuters.com/

Elon Musk’s recent musings that high lithium prices may force Tesla Inc to make its own supply of the electric vehicle battery metal have fueled hopes by some that the billionaire entrepreneur will instead opt for a buyout of an established mining company.

The auto giant already has supply contracts for nickel, lithium and a range of other EV metals from suppliers across the globe. But it needs more, and industry analysts say Tesla may soon realize that building a mine or processing facility from scratch is not as easy as it sounds and the automaker should instead consider a buyout.

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GM and Ford Join Tesla in Race to Secure EV Battery Material Supplies – by Al Root (Barrons – April 13, 2022)

https://www.barrons.com/

Auto makers are trying to secure supplies of critical materials for meeting their electric-vehicle goals, particularly as prices rise . Ford Motor, General Motors, and Tesla have all made some recent strategic moves to shore up materials to produce EV batteries. On Tuesday, General Motors (ticker: GM) signed a cobalt supply deal with global mining giant Glencore (GLEN.London).

Cobalt is used along with metals such as lithium, nickel, and iron in rechargeable EV batteries. Cobalt gets more attention than other EV materials because most of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has a reputation for poor mining practices and a weak human rights record. The cobalt GM is buying from Glencore , however, will be sourced from Australia.

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We Don’t Need Nickel From Russia – by Johnna Crider (Clean Technica – April 15, 2022)

https://cleantechnica.com/

We don’t need nickel from Russia. There is a critical need for nickel and other EV battery metals worldwide, but we don’t need to get it from Russia. In March 2022, Morgan Stanley’s Adam Jonas shared worries about Russia’s outsized role in the nickel supply chain for EVs.

CNBC’s Phil LeBeau then discussed the note from Jonas. Jonas noted that Ford announced a target of 2 million EV unit sales by 2026, and that this will require a lot of EV battery metals. The question he posed was where Ford would source all of these raw materials. LeBeau pointed out that everyone in the auto industry has been talking about this issue for quite a while.

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The step by step process to get a road to the Ring of Fire – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 14, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Environmental assessment work for Ring of Fire road can now begin as First Nation road proponents file terms of reference

Construction hasn’t started on the road to the Ring of Fire, but the Ontario government promises the environmental assessment process is well underway.

The provincial government and two remote First Nations near the remote mineral belt are calling the filing of the terms of reference of the Northern Road Link a “historic milestone to unlocking jobs and economic opportunities in the Ring of Fire region.”

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With an election in sight, Doug Ford once again ready to hop on the Ring of Fire ‘bulldozer’ – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – April 8, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Ontario premier appears in the Sault to charge up Algoma Steel and the critical minerals mining industry

Premier Doug Ford didn’t back down from his government’s commitment to invest in the development of a north-south road network into the Ring of Fire.

The premier and some provincial cabinet ministers were in Sault Ste. Marie on April 8, surrounded by steel coils on the floor of Algoma Steel’s Direct Strip Production Complex to unveil the province’s expanded Northern Energy Advantage Program (NEAP), a power rebate program for heavy industrial users in the North.

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Russian nickel, palladium, chromium exports a headache for Germany – by Arthur Sullivan (DW.com – April 11, 2022)

https://www.dw.com/en/

Russian gas and oil are by far the most significant exports Moscow sells to Germany. Yet other important raw materials are also under the spotlight because of the war in Ukraine.

Almost all the debate surrounding Germany’s economic ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine has focused on gas and oil. With good reason — Germany buys more Russian oil and gas than any other European country, making energy Russia’s most lucrative import to Germany by far.

However, many German companies rely on a steady supply of other Russian exports, particularly raw materials such as nickel, palladium, copper and chromium.

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Wyloo Metals seals the deal in the Ring of Fire – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 7, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Australian miner tables a socio-economic and green agenda to benefit Indigenous business and deliver a net-zero mine

The Ring of Fire’s newest player contends it will “set a new global benchmark in sustainable mining” in Ontario’s Far North. Australia’s Wyloo Metals announced April 7 that it has formally completed its acquisition of Noront Resources and its flagship Eagle’s Nest nickel asset in the James Bay region.

After Noront shareholders gave their blessing on March 15, the final court and stock trading regulatory hurdles have now been cleared.

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A fresh look at Muskox nickel in Nunavut – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – April 8, 2022)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

SPC Nickel Corp., a new Canadian exploration company, April 5 outlined plans for the 2022 exploration program on its Muskox nickel-copper-platinum group metal property in Nunavut.

Located in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Muskox is a 45,200-hectare (111,700 acres) property that covers prospective geological settings with numerous similarities to many of the world’s largest nickel mining camps.

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How Trudeau proposes to make Canada a key supplier of critical minerals – by Gabriel Friedman (Financial Post – April 8, 2022)

https://financialpost.com/

Billions earmarked in the federal budget to develop an industry crucial to the world’s energy transition

Few issues are as hotly debated as the costs of climate change, and the new federal budget is unlikely to cool the tenor of that discussion.

Chrystia Freeland’s second budget as finance minister proposes billions of dollars in new spending to incentivize more mining of critical minerals through investments in infrastructure, tax credits for exploration, and funding to help attract the downstream industries that turn those minerals into products such as electric vehicles and battery cells.

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NEWS RELEASE: $3.8B Commitment in 2022 Budget Significantly Enhances Canadian Mining Industry’s Ability to Provide the Minerals and Metals Required to Reach Net-Zero (April 7, 2022)

Ottawa, April 7th, 2022 – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) welcomes the government’s forward-looking vision for our sector as proposed in Budget 2022. With unprecedented support and extensive measures, Budget 2022 will position Canada’s minerals and metals industry for success as a partner in accomplishing Canada’s goal of a greener future while also enhancing greater supply chain resiliency, particularly in battery and advanced manufacturing materials.

Budget 2022 reinforces the government’s commitment to climate action and supply chain security goals by providing strategic funding and programmatic supports to Canada’s minerals and metals sector, underscoring a recognition that the world is better off on climate change when Canada wins on critical minerals. Specifically, the budget:

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Canada Nickel raises $51.6 million to bring Timmins deposit to mine-ready stage – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 6, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Mine developer intersects high-grade nickel at Crawford project

This is has been one of those ‘milestone’ weeks for Timmins mine developer Canada Nickel Company and its Crawford nickel sulphide project.

First, the Toronto-based company announced it had pulled the highest grade of nickel drill core ever recorded on the property, then it cashed up for the remainder of this year, taking in $51.6 million from the sale of flow-through shares.

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Wyloo lays out mining vision – by Sandi Krasowski (Toronto Star – April 4, 2022)

https://www.thestar.com/

THUNDER BAY, ONT. — The sale of Toronto-based Ring of Fire explorer Noront Resources to the Australian mining company Wyloo Metals is quickly approaching the finalization date of April 7.

A bidding war was won by Wyloo with a $617-million proposal and approved by Noront shareholders. The merger serves as the first attempt by the Australian mining company coming to Canada to revive a dormant, prime mineral belt.

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Governments ignore mining in electrification push – by Rick Mills (Ahead of the Herd/Mining.com – April 4, 2022)

https://www.mining.com/

The supply chain for batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, electric motors, transmission lines, 5G — everything regarding electrification and decarbonization that is needed for a green economy — starts with metals and mining.

A green infrastructure and transportation spending push will mean a lot more metals will need to be mined, including lithium, nickel, and graphite for EV batteries; copper for electric vehicle wiring, charging stations and renewable energy projects; silver for solar panels; rare earths for permanent magnets that go into EV motors and wind turbines; and silver/ tin for the hundreds of millions of solder points necessary in making the new electrified economy a reality.

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Commodity prices increase as mining transitions to green energy – by Olivia Johnson (CIM Magazine – April 2022)

https://magazine.cim.org/en/

Nickel, cobalt and lithium continue to benefit from electric vehicle demand

A strong end to the year and accelerated prices in January have led to higher commodities forecasts, and metals such as copper, nickel and lithium are benefiting from “the red-hot EV market.”

In S&P Global’s State of the Market: Mining Q4-21 conference, Sean Decoff, senior analyst, metals and mining research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said that in general, the industry is seeing positives. COVID-19 cases are dropping, many countries are completely scrapping restrictions and persistent inflation is benefiting commodity prices.

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