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Where are the critical minerals flashpoints in 2025? (Thomson Reuters Foundation – February 6, 2025)

https://www.eco-business.com/

M23 rebels’ advance in mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo puts green minerals rush in the spotlight.

The conflict playing out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have sed vital mines in a lightning advance, spotlights the global race for access to critical minerals and the risk to local populations.

The race for minerals needed for renewable technologies – including coltan, lithium, cobalt and nickel – is set to ramp up this year as Europe and North America compete to secure access and break China’s grip on the supply chain.

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Coal Mine Disaster in India’s Assam Opens Can of Worms – by Rajeev Bhattacharyya (The Diplomat – February 07, 2025)

https://thediplomat.com/

Rat-hole mining is banned by the Supreme Court. But its practice persists under the noses of government officials and politicians.

A tragedy in a coal mine in the northeastern Indian state of Assam has turned the spotlight once again on the illegal practice of rat-hole mining, which thrives in the region despite a ban by the Supreme Court.

Four dead bodies of miners were retrieved last month from a flooded coal mine at Umrangso in Assam’s Dima Hasao district after water from a nearby unused mine suddenly flooded the site. Employees of the quarry were quoted as saying that there were around 15 workers trapped inside the mine, but the government did not confirm the number.

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Greenland caught in resource power struggle – by A.J. Roan (North of 60 Mining News – February 7, 2025)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Global powers vie for vast mineral wealth of Greenland, caught in the crossfire of Western resource independence, Arctic security.

Far from the halls of Washington and Copenhagen, where political posturing has placed it unwittingly at the center of an escalating dispute over its resource potential, Greenland sits on a wealth of untapped resources critical to the world’s technological and strategic future.

Long enduring as a land of resilient communities and Arctic majesty, the island has become the focus of global powers vying for control over rare earths, graphite, and other minerals and metals essential to clean energy, defense, and industry.

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The hidden cost of Mongolia’s mining boom – by Narantuya Chuluunbat (East Asia Forum – February 7, 2025)

https://eastasiaforum.org/

Mongolia’s burgeoning mining sector is a cornerstone of its economy. But it comes with inherent challenges, including environmental degradation, income inequality and community displacement. Mongolia’s policymakers must navigate the trade-offs between boosting economic growth by exploiting natural resources and preserving environmental integrity.

The mining sector accounted for 28.7 per cent of Mongolia’s GDP, 92.1 per cent of exports and 31.6 per cent of fiscal revenue in 2023 — one of the highest among resource-rich countries. The sector directly employed 73,180 people in 2023 — 5.7 per cent of total employment — and an estimated 60,000 in small-scale artisanal mining, a substantial source of employment in rural areas. Mining also supports numerous indirect jobs through related industries and services.

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More power needed for growing northwestern Ontario mining sector: task force (CBC News Thunder Bay – February 07, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/

About 250 megawatts of additional power generation required

More power is needed in northwestern Ontario if the region is to meet the demands brought on by what a task force calls “unprecedented growth” in its mining sector.

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association’s (NOMA) Northwest Energy Task Force said there are currently 41 major exploration projects in the region, with 37 of those aiming to be operational by 2033.

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Anglo American nears De Beers spinoff as Botswana weighs stake rise – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – February 7, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

Anglo American (LON: AAL) is moving closer to spinning off its diamond unit, De Beers, after the government of Botswana confirmed interest in increasing its stake in the world’s leading diamond producer by value.

De Beers has been on the chopping block since May 2024, when Anglo announced plans to either sell the unit or launch an initial public offering (IPO). This decision came as part of a reorganization initiated after Anglo fended off a failed £39 billion ($49 billion) takeover bid by Australian rival BHP.

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U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber reintroduces bill that would open copper nickel mining near Boundary Waters – by Sydney Kashiwagi and Chloe Johnson (Minnesota Star Tribune – February 6, 2025)

https://www.startribune.com/

Sen. Tina Smith plans to oppose the legislation if it reaches the Senate.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican control in Washington could open the way for copper nickel mining efforts near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. GOP Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents northeastern Minnesota, has again introduced a bill that would reinstate mineral leases in the Superior National Forest.

With Republicans controlling the House and Senate, and President Donald Trump’s push to prioritize domestic mining, he likes his chances. Stauber said that “without question,” the president will sign it into law if it reaches his desk.

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Canadian critical minerals companies not panicked by Trump tariff threat because of 10% carve-out – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – February 7, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s critical minerals sector would suffer a significantly less punishing blow from U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs compared with the broader Canadian economy if he moves ahead.

Mr. Trump earlier this week temporarily backed off from imposing 25-per-cent tariffs on most Canadian imports, but the risk remains high, with the possibility that he’ll follow through after the 30-day reprieve runs out.

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CanAlaska Uranium posts top grade at West McArthur – by Blair McBride (Northern Miner – February 6, 2025)

https://www.northernminer.com/

CanAlaska Uranium cut its highest grade intersection yet at the West McArthur project it holds in a joint venture with Cameco in northern Saskatchewan.

Hole WMA076-01 in the Pike zone cut 14.5 metres grading 12.2% uranium oxide (U3O8) from 790.1 metres depth, including 5 metres at 34.38% U3O8, CanAlaska reported Thursday. That result, among the first five holes completed in the company’s winter program, expands the Pike zone’s ultra-high grade footprint at the unconformity by at least 15 metres to the east.

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How illicit mining fuels violence in eastern DRC: Interview with Jean-Pierre Okenda – by Ashoka Mukpo (Mongabay.com – February 6, 2025)

Mongabay – Conservation News

On Jan. 28, the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 captured Goma, capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich North Kivu province. The fall of Goma marks a shocking chapter in a long-running conflict in the eastern DRC that has claimed millions of lives since it began in 1996. Deeply rooted in the colonial history of Central Africa, as well as the 1994 Rwandan genocide, one of the core drivers of fighting in the region is the DRC’s vast mineral wealth.

The DRC has the world’s largest reserves of coltan, crucial for the manufacturing of consumer electronics like cellphones and laptops. Extraction of the mineral is associated with deforestation, habitat loss, and pollution of waterways. Along with Goma, in the past year M23 has seized control of many lucrative coltan, tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold mines in the eastern DRC, including the largest coltan mine on Earth, near the town of Rubaya.

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Australian lithium player selects new site for proposed Thunder Bay refinery – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 5, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Green Technology Metals tests lithium sample in South Korea to develop a product for the electric vehicle market

An aspiring Australian lithium producer in northwestern Ontario is eyeing a new site in Thunder Bay to place a refinery. Green Technology Metals is scoping out a brownfield on the city’s waterfront to evaluate its suitability to host a lithium chemical conversion plant.

The Perth-headquartered has shifted focus away from the former Cascades Paper plant property in the city’s north end to the Midcontinent Terminal property on Maureen Street in the centre of the city, near a grouping of grain elevators.

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China hits back at US tariffs with mineral export curbs – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – February 4, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

China unveiled a series of retaliatory measures against the United States on Tuesday, including restrictions on the export of five critical metals used in defence, clean energy, and other industries. The move comes in response to President Trump’s announcement on Friday of a blanket 10% additional tariff on Chinese imports.

Beijing’s new export controls target tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, indium, and molybdenum, stating that export licenses will only be granted to companies complying with “relevant regulations.” However, the Chinese government has not provided details about the specific criteria for compliance.

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Feds, province invest almost $80M in Northern Manitoba to advance critical minerals – by Staff (Canadian Mining Journal – February 5, 2025)

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Ottawa and Manitoba have hedged their bets on Northern Manitoba becoming a global hub for trade opportunities, especially in critical minerals, based on a historic investment from both governments recently. Between the two governments, the investment is close to $80 million over two years, with a total investment of $79.4 million.

The federal government is investing over $43 million over the two years in new transportation and training monies. Federal Minister Terry Duguid made the announcement in Manitoba on February 4th. On the same day, the Manitoba government committed to a $36.4 million investment into the railway and port. The provincial monies will go towards restoring and replacing old infrastructure at the northern port.

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Municipal district scraps Grassy Mountain appeal after provincial coal rule changes – by Joel Dryden (CBC News Calgary – February 05, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/

Alberta government lifted ban on coal exploration in Eastern Slopes in late January

The reeve of a southwestern ranching community says the municipal district has cancelled its appeal of exploration applications tied to the Grassy Mountain site in southwestern Alberta. Ron Davis, reeve of the M.D. of Ranchland, said recent rule changes from the provincial government have upended the district’s arguments tied to its Alberta Court of Appeal case.

“Given that the government has changed the rules, our case didn’t seem like it had as much impact as we would like,” Davis said. In August 2024, Alberta’s top court allowed Ranchland’s appeal, with Justice Kevin Feth writing he found that “a serious, arguable issue [was] established” after the provincial energy regulator accepted applications from Northback Holdings, the company behind the Grassy Mountain mine project.

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Tungsten supply crisis threatens defense and tech industries (The Oregon Group – February 04, 2025)

https://theoregongroup.substack.com/

China announces new export controls on tungsten, critical to modern technology

China has announced new export controls on 25 rare metals, including tungsten, in retaliation to a new 10% tariff by Trump on all US imports from China. The problem: China dominates global tungsten supply — accounting for more than 80% of the world’s mining and processing in 2023, as well as 58% of the world’s reserves at 2.3 million metric tons.

However, China’s dominance is increasingly seen as a strategic vulnerability by the US, EU and Japan amid escalating geopolitical tensions.

What is tungsten

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