Republic of Mining

Column: Nuclear revival puts uranium back in the critical spotlight – by Andy Home (Reuters – Janaury 30, 2025)

January 31, 2025

https://www.reuters.com/

Is uranium a critical mineral? Not according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), which dropped it from its critical minerals list in 2022 on the grounds it didn’t qualify because it was a “fuel mineral”. US President Donald Trump wants it to think again.

One of Trump’s many “Unleashing American Energy” directives requires the Secretary of the Interior to instruct the director of the USGS to “consider updating the survey’s list of critical minerals, including for the potential of including uranium.”

Automotive News: Critical minerals for EVs could provide Canada leverage amid Trump tariff threats – by David Kennedy (Automotive News – January 30, 2025)

January 31, 2025

https://finance.yahoo.com/

U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States does not need Canadian imports would struggle to hold up in a trade war, with Canadian critical minerals for electric vehicles and other industrial uses among the products that would be tough to replace, according to recent analyses.

About $40 billion (CND) in critical minerals cross the Canada-U.S. border each year, according to Accelerate, an industry alliance advocating for Canada’s EV supply chain. That includes billions in copper, nickel and aluminum, and growing volumes of other metals vital to the automotive, defence and energy sectors.

NEWS RELEASE: USGS: Value of U.S. mineral production edged up in 2024 (January 31, 2025)

January 31, 2025

https://www.usgs.gov/

Record prices for gold and silver helped to offset declines in U.S. production of critical minerals used in batteries, the 30th annual Mineral Commodity Summaries details

Reston, Va. — The overall value of U.S. mineral production edged up by \$1 billion in 2024 to $106 billion, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s annual Mineral Commodity Summaries. Record prices for gold and silver buoyed the total, more than compensating for a 40 to 60 percent fall in the value of U.S. production of critical minerals used to make lithium-ion batteries.

Prices for the battery materials, principally cobalt, lithium and nickel, fell due to oversupply by dominant producers including China. The report also highlights the overall importance of nonfuel minerals to American industries including aerospace, electronics and construction. These industries represented $4.08 trillion in value in 2024, a 4% increase over 2023, and nearly one-seventh of the U.S. economy.

Gold hits record highs as analysts now eye $3,000 target, silver price rallies 4% – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – January 30, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – The gold market continues to attract attention as it prepares to end the first month of 2025 at a record high, following the trend of 40 all-time highs in 2024.

With bullish momentum clearly picking up, some analysts have said that this is only the start of what looks to be a bigger move. In a recent interview with Kitco News, Michele Schneider, Chief Strategist at MarketGauge, said that if gold sees a clear break above $2,800 an ounce, it can easily reach $3,000.

China funnelled $57 billion to control critical mineral supply chain – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – January 29, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://www.mining.com/

China has systematically extended its control over critical minerals essential for the global energy transition and net-zero emissions, using a network of at least 26 state-backed financial institutions over the past two decades, a new report shows.

The database, compiled by AidData at the College of William & Mary in the United States, reveals how Beijing has leveraged an intricate web of financial mechanisms to dominate the global supply chain for critical minerals. These minerals — including copper, cobalt, nickel, lithium and rare earth elements — are vital for emerging technologies such as electric vehicle batteries and solar panels.

Ontario OKs $90M to upgrade Ring of Fire region – by Colin McClelland (Northern Miner – Janaury 29, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://www.northernminer.com/

Queen’s Park and Aroland First Nation have signed a multi-million-dollar agreement to plan a transmission line in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire area in the province’s north. The deal also includes support for upgrades to Anaconda and Painter Lake Roads, which are important connections on the road, which is under study, to the Ring of Fire, the government said Tuesday.

The Ring of Fire, known for vast potential but only a few projects, lies about 540 km northeast of Thunder Bay. The hydro line is planned near Aroland First Nation, located at what is known as the “gateway” to the Ring of Fire, 60 km north of Geraldton on Highway 584/643.

Shipments of uranium ore can resume under agreement reached with the Navajo Nation – by Susan Montoya Bryan (Associated Press – January 29, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://apnews.com/

Shipments of uranium ore from a revived mining operation just south of the Grand Canyon are expected to resume in February after the Navajo Nation reached a settlement with the mining company, clearing the way for trucks to transport the ore across the largest Native American reservation in the U.S.

The agreement announced Wednesday settles a dispute that erupted last summer when Energy Fuels Inc. began trucking ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine to a mill site in Utah. Navajo authorities attempted to put up roadblocks but the trucks already had left tribal roadways.

Canada becomes a major iron ore producer – by Ailbhe Goodbody (CIM Magazine – January 17, 2025)

January 30, 2025

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

How the Labrador Trough became the epicentre of Canadian iron ore mining in the 1950s

The first reference to iron in the Labrador Trough, a geologic belt hosting world-class iron deposits that extends for approximately 1,100 kilometres through Labrador and Quebec, was made by Father Louis Babel, who travelled in the area from 1866 to 1870, according to H.E. Neal (Explor. Mining Geol., Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 113-121, 2000). A.P. Low was the first geologist to recognize iron mineralization that was similar to that found in the northern United States while he was on a preliminary reconnaissance survey in 1893 to 1894.

“However, it was not until 1929 that the first iron ore discoveries were made by J.E. Gill and W. F. James in the Burnt Creek (Knob Lake) area,” wrote R.D. Westervelt (CIM Bulletin, November 1957). These iron ore discoveries led to the formation of the Labrador Mining and Exploration Company (LME) in 1936 to explore a 20,000-square-mile concession in Labrador, and of the Hollinger North Shore Exploration Company in 1941 to explore an adjoining 3,900-square-mile concession in Quebec.

‘The Region Will Die’: Ukraine’s Donbas Mines Within Russia’s Grasp (Kyiv Post – January 30, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://www.kyivpost.com/

Russia’s army is around six kilometres (four miles) from the centre of Pokrovsk, a formerly thriving mining hub on top of Ukraine’s largest coal reserves.

Fighting desperately to cling on to coal mines that were once the lifeblood of its industrial east, Ukraine’s soldiers conceded they were struggling against intensifying Russian attacks. “There’s only so much we can do. No matter what super warriors are fighting in our ranks, the Russians outnumber us. It hurts,” said the chief sergeant of Ukraine’s 59th brigade, deployed in the Donetsk region, who goes by the call sign “San Sanych”.

Russia’s army is around six kilometres (four miles) from the centre of Pokrovsk, a formerly thriving mining hub on top of Ukraine’s largest coal reserves. The capture of the city and surrounding mines — some of which are even closer to Russian positions — would be a painful blow to Ukraine’s army, local communities and the national economy, compounding months of setbacks on the front.

OPINION: Will the political parties stick up for the ailing forest industry? – by Tom Clark, Jeremy Williams, Don Huff and Bud Knauff (Northern Ontario Business – January 30, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Voters should demand real action and investment commitment from party leaders to revitalize, ‘re-imagine’ this critical sector

As Ontario braces for a snap provincial election called by Premier Doug Ford, the languishing forest industry in rural and Northern Ontario remains a critical yet overlooked issue. The closure of major pulp mills in Espanola and Terrace Bay have dealt a severe blow to the region’s economy, with far-reaching consequences that demand immediate attention.

The indefinite idling of Domtar’s Espanola pulp mill in November 2023 and Aditya Birla’s Terrace Bay mill in January 2024 has resulted in the loss of over 850 direct jobs and the annual production of 600,000 tonnes of Northern Bleached Kraft pulp.

Blood minerals in DR Congo – by Harriet Marsden (The Week – January 28, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://theweek.com/

Battle for control of central African nation fuelled by increasing demand for minerals crucial in manufacture of smartphones and laptops

“The source of misery for the people of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo lies in the vast natural treasures beneath their feet,” said The Times. The region boasts a “dizzying array” of riches, such as gold and diamonds, but the “most coveted are the lesser known”: coltan, cobalt and other minerals “crucial in the production of laptops and smartphones”.

It is “no coincidence” that violence has increased alongside consumer demand for tech. But while the slogan “blood diamonds” helped to ease conflicts elsewhere in Africa, a “similarly murderous hunt for smart-tech minerals” has only intensified in the DRC, displacing seven million and “condemning a region to perpetual chaos”.

Saudi Arabia of lithium: The future of mining in Afghanistan and Pakistan – by Gordon Feller (Canadian Mining Journal – December 19, 2024)

January 30, 2025

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Afghanistan and Pakistan possess significant mineral resources that have attracted China’s interest. This fact has shaped what China does to grow its broader economic and geopolitical strategy in the region. This article provides a short survey, for both countries, of the mineral deposits, current mining production, and China’s efforts to increase its influence.

Afghanistan’s mineral resources

Afghanistan is estimated to have mineral deposits worth up to US$1 trillion, including vast reserves of copper, iron, gold, lithium, and rare earth elements. Some of the key mineral resources include the following:

Cameco hopes to repeat its 2018 success in fending off Trump uranium tariffs as threat looms once more – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – January 28, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s Cameco Corp. fought off U.S. tariffs on uranium during President Donald Trump’s first term and it hopes to do so again as the global uranium heavyweight pushes for cooler heads to prevail in Washington.

After he was elected for a second term last fall, Mr. Trump said he was planning to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on all imports of Canadian goods. On the day he was inaugurated, he said those tariffs could take effect on Saturday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday confirmed that Mr. Trump’s Saturday timeline for tariffs against Canada is still in the cards.

‘World’s largest undeveloped gold mine’ faces legal challenges from Canada and Alaska tribal nations – by Jack Darrell (Alaska Public Media – January 28, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://alaskapublic.org/

A major Canadian mining prospect upstream from Southeast Alaska is drawing legal challenges from both sides of the border, as tribal groups fear the project could pollute their ancestral waterways.

At the river’s mouth

The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission, or SEITC, is worried about the region’s rivers. The commission represents 15 Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian nations that came together because they believe mining in British Columbia poses a threat to their spawning salmon and hooligan habitats, like the Unuk and Stikine Rivers.

Water for Food voices concerns over coal mining’s impact on ag sector – by Alexandra Noad (Lethbridge Herald – January 30, 2025)

January 30, 2025

https://lethbridgeherald.com/

Southern Alberta is known for its vast farmland, which contributes billions of dollars to the economy and Chris Spearman fears the proposed Grassy Mountain Coal Mine will negatively impact the agri-food sector and southern Alberta.

Spearman, former Lethbridge mayor and a spokesman for the group Water For Food, says he was alarmed at the Dec. 20 announcement and is wondering why the Albertan government would jeopardize the economy for a project that has a limited life span.