Republic of Mining

Column: Critical minerals supply improves but many risks remain – by Andy Home (Reuters – July 14, 2023)

July 14, 2023

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) – First the good news. The supply of minerals critical to the green energy transition could move close to levels needed to support climate pledges by 2030, according to the first annual review of the sector by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Investment in the critical minerals pipeline grew by 20% in 2021 and by 30% in 2022, led by lithium, copper and nickel. Exploration spending was up by 20% last year with Canada and Australia both registering year-on-year growth of over 40%, notably in hard-rock lithium plays, according to the IEA.

NEWS RELEASE: Families Depend on Income from Child Labour in Congo’s Cobalt Mines to Stave Off Hunger

July 14, 2023

Efforts to eliminate child labour in cobalt supply chains need to address root causes or risk further jeopardizing children’s safety and well-being

OTTAWA, Canada, July 14, 2023/ — IMPACT’s (www.ImpactTransform.org) new research reveals how poverty is a driving force behind child labour in Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) artisanal cobalt mines.

Among rising costs, families are struggling to make ends meet. Many are going hungry. Children work when families get desperate, leading to a reliance on income from child labour to cover basic needs like food, clothing, or school fees.

In its latest research report, How Households Depend on Children’s Income: The Case for Improving Women’s Livelihoods to Eliminate Child Labour in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Cobalt Sector (https://apo-opa.info/3rkYTBg), IMPACT finds that families depend most on women’s income. When mothers are struggling, children step in to help. Some are encouraged by their parents, or independently follow their siblings, friends, and neighbours.

Long-lost Ship Found in the Desert Laden with Gold – by Tasos Kokkinidis (Greek Reporter – July 12, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://greekreporter.com/

The discovery of a ship that disappeared five hundred years ago and was found in a desert in southwest Africa with gold coins aboard has been one of the most exciting archaeological finds of recent years. The Bom Jesus (The Good Jesus) was a Portuguese vessel that set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on Friday, March 7, 1533. Its fate was unknown until 2008 when its remains were discovered in the desert of Namibia during diamond mining operations near the coast of the African nation.

When it sank in a fierce storm, it was on its way to India laden with treasures like gold and copper ingots. Two-thousand pure gold coins and tens of thousands of pounds of copper ingots were discovered on the Bom Jesus, almost all intact.

Critical Mineral Shortages to Ease on Investment Surge, IEA Says – by Mark Burton (Bloomberg News – July 11, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Shortages of battery metals and other critical minerals are looking less likely to stymie the transition to a low-carbon economy, the International Energy Agency said in a new report tracking a surge of investment into the mining sector.

Investment in the industry has jumped 50% over the past two years, driven chiefly by increases in lithium projects, and a host of newly announced projects indicates that supply is catching up with an anticipated boom in demand through to the end of the decade, the agency said in the report published Tuesday.

Doug Ford says this mining region is a top priority. Ottawa doesn’t necessarily agree – by Alex Ballingall, Tonda MacCharles and Kristin Rushowy (Toronto Star – July 12, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.thestar.com/

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson cast doubt on hopes for a mining bonanza in Ontario’s “Ring of Fire,” saying there are better projects that can be developed easier in areas closer to existing infrastructure.

OTTAWA—Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson cast doubt on hopes for a mining bonanza in Ontario’s “Ring of Fire,” saying there are better projects that can be developed easier in areas closer to existing infrastructure.

It’s the latest sign the Trudeau government isn’t yet convinced the region in the province’s vast, environmentally sensitive northern peatlands is the best place for new mining, even as it tries to make Canada an international powerhouse in critical minerals needed to power the global shift to a greener, low-carbon economy.

The global lithium rush is only at the beginning – by Frik Els (Mining.com – July 7, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

The lithium mining industry’s ups and downs since the start of the decade has been nothing short of spectacular. Measured from 2020 lows to November 2022 highs the price of lithium carbonate in China soared 1,400%, spodumene concentrate from Australia racked up 2,100% gains and European and US hydroxide climbed 804%.

Unlike nickel where swings have been equally wild, the action was not a paper-based futures short squeeze or other trading aberration but real-world transactions. The frenzy during the second half of last year meant anyone that could find a way to bring lithium to market did so – from direct shipping ore from Africa to lepidolite ramp ups in China to tailings reprocessing and, such as there were, recycled material.

Report: Critical minerals supply chain puts speed of energy transition at risk – by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico.com – July 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.politico.com/

The world’s supply of critical minerals is vulnerable to disruptions that could slow the transition to clean energy because their mining and refining are concentrated in the hands of a few companies and countries, an international renewable energy body said on Tuesday.

Those minerals, used to build clean technologies from wind turbines to electric cars, have drawn increasing interest from national governments eager to cut emissions and fight climate change — an effort that could be slowed if countries don’t work together to diversify the sources of the materials, the International Renewable Energy Agency warned in a new report provided to POLITICO ahead of its release later this week.

OPINION: Nuclear power is a key part of a green future – by Editorial Board (Globe and Mail – July 12, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

It’s an utterly predictable chain reaction. Any proposal to expand nuclear-generated electricity as part of the effort to reduce carbon emissions is met with instant condemnation from environmentalists who can’t see past their historical antipathy to atomic power.

So it was last week in Ontario, when the Progressive Conservative government sensibly proposed further expansion of its nuclear-generation capacity, which already supplies about half of the province’s electricity.

UN debates deep sea mining as countries and companies now allowed to seek provisional licenses – by Danica Coto (Associated Press – July 10, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://apnews.com/

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A U.N. agency tasked with regulating the deep sea is debating whether to open the Earth’s watery depths to countries and companies that as of Monday were allowed to start applying for provisional mining licenses.

The International Seabed Authority, based in Jamaica, launched a two-week conference on the issue Monday, a day after it missed a deadline to approve a set of rules and regulations to govern deep sea mining in international waters. “We have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Juan José González, the authority’s council president.

China launches Mineral War against USA by limiting exports of two products – by Girish Linganna (Northlines.com – July 12, 2023)

July 12, 2023

Homepage

China’s recent move to limit the export of two minerals crucial for semiconductors, solar panels, and missile systems serves as a significant reminder of its strong control over global mineral resources. This action also serves as a warning, indicating China’s readiness to utilize these resources as part of its growing competition and tensions with the United States.

China holds a significant position in the global supply chain for essential minerals used in electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. Approximately two-thirds of the world’s lithium and cobalt, vital for EV batteries, undergo processing in China.

Rio hunts in the outback for lithium – by Elouise Fowler and Peter Ker (Australian Financial Review – July 11, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.afr.com/

Rio Tinto will redouble efforts to find hard rock lithium in the Western Australian outback, after confirming it would extend an exploration partnership near the town of Sandstone for the third time in two years. Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm has made no secret of the miner’s desire to increase exposure to the battery material.

Rio finalised the $US825 million ($1.2 billion) acquisition of the Rincon project – near Orocobre’s flagship Olaroz operations – in Argentina last year. The Ango-Australian mining major already produces lithium from waste rock at a Californian mine, and last year entered into partnership with Canadian spodumene producers in the Canadian province of Quebec.

What’s in a name? With Argyle diamonds, quite a lot – by Stuart Kells (The Mandarin – February 20, 2023)

July 12, 2023

The Mandarin

‘Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got. I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the block.’ As with J.Lo, in the history of Australian diamonds, labels are important. Today, ‘Argyle diamonds’ and ‘Argyle pinks’ are iconic brands. The story of those brands, along with related ones such as ‘champagne’ and ‘cognac’ diamonds, is a tale of coincidences, twists and incredible flukes.

The etymology of ‘diamond’ is Greek, and is all about hardness and adamance. ‘Argyle’, however, comes from the British Isles, and specifically from Argyll in western Scotland. The Old Gaelic phrase Airer Goídel means, more or less, ‘border region of the Gaels’.

Watchdog probing claims that Nike Canada, gold company benefiting from forced Uyghur labour – by Catharine Tunney (CBC New Politics – July 11, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/

Canada’s watchdog for corporate wrongdoing says she has enough to launch an investigation of allegations that Nike Canada and a gold mining company are benefiting from the forced labour of Uyghurs in China.

It’s the first time the office of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) has launched an investigation since the federal government appointed Sheri Meyerhoffer to the role in April 2019. “These are very serious issues that have been brought to our attention,” Meyerhoffer said Tuesday.

Why Africa bleeds diamond revenues – by Neusa e Silva (DW.com – February 20, 2023)

July 12, 2023

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

Africa holds mineral wealth with diverse commodities that are sought after the world over. In the diamond industry, local communities miss out on profits despite multilateral certification measures.

In diamond-rich parts of Africa, the revenue generated from mineral extraction does little to improve quality of life for the people who live in those countries, with Botswana being the only exception. Instead of uplifting communities through mineral riches, many people find themselves stuck in a vicious cycle of exploitation and abuse.

DW asked diamond industry insiders and experts why the extraction of the gemstones fails to result in local socioeconomic benefits.

Nyabeze appointed MICA network director – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – July 11, 2023)

July 12, 2023

https://www.sudbury.com/

Chamirai (Charles) Nyabeze is well-known for his role as vice-president of Business Development and Commercialization with the Centre of Excellence in Mining Innovation

Well-known Sudbury mining industry executive Chamirai (Charles) Nyabeze has been appointed as Network Director for the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator Network (MICA).

Nyabeze’s new role was announced on June 22 and officially commenced on July 6, said a news release from MICA. The appointment comes with the full support of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), where Chamirai has been a member for the past 11 years, the release continued.