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Scientists Found a Massive Copper Deposit That Could Change the Future of Energy – by Darren Orf (Popular Mechanics – May 19, 2025)

https://www.popularmechanics.com/

Located along the border of Chile and Argentina, the Filo del Sol copper deposit has been under investigation for years for potentially being one of the largest copper deposits in the world. And that makes sense, considering this deposit is nestled along the Atacama Desert—long known for its immense copper reserves due to its location in the Andes and its placement within the eastern portion of the Ring of Fire.

However, a new initial mineral resource estimate completed earlier this month suggests that the companies in charge of mining this area—the U.S.-based Lundin Mining and BHP—may have stumbled upon five times more metal than they bargained for. According to a statement from Lundin Mining, the new assessment estimates the presence of up to 13 million tonnes of copper, 907,000 kilograms (32 million ounces) of gold, and 18.6 million kilograms (659 million ounces) of silver.

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Opinion: The Global Hunger Games of commodities – by James Cooper (Northern Miner – May 20, 2025)

Global mining news

This article caught my attention last week: ‘Trump to approve land swap for Rio Tinto copper mine opposed by Native Americans.’

The brief: The Trump administration has said it would approve a land swap needed for Rio Tinto and BHP to build one of the world’s largest copper mines, despite concerns from Native Americans that it would destroy a site of religious value.

I get it, who wants a mine in their backyard? This was a key reason Biden stalled the development during his term in office. You can read the whole piece here.

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Why the US-Ukraine Minerals Deal Matters – by Kateryna Odarchenko and Serhii Kolisnyk (CEPA.org – May 16, 2025)

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The agreement to set up a US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund reinforces security, sovereignty and strategic supply chains.

The long-awaited investment plan agreed with the US on April 30 marks a pivotal step in Kyiv’s efforts to rebuild its war-torn economy, reduce reliance on legacy industries, and assert sovereignty over its natural wealth. It also reflects growing US interest in diversifying critical mineral supply chains away from China while sending a signal to Moscow about Washington’s strategic commitment to Ukraine.

The deal serves as a framework for strengthening and formalizing cooperation between Ukraine and the US, and represents a significant opportunity for Ukraine to attract investment, accelerate post-war reconstruction, and assert greater control over its economic future. While the agreement lays a strong foundation, further clarity is needed about the allocation of the fund’s resources, which will be addressed in detail in the forthcoming Limited Partnership (LP) agreement.

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Kimberley Process Makes Headway in Expanding ‘Conflict Diamond’ Definition – by Leah Meirovich (Rapaport Magazine – May 18, 2025)

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After years of fighting for a broader definition of the term “conflict diamond,” the World Diamond Council (WDC) says it finally has new wording it believes will attract a consensus. The current definition refers only to diamonds used to fund rebel groups, which critics have argued doesn’t reflect the present situation.

Over the years, Kimberley Process (KP) member countries have suggested new descriptions that would also include references to “systemic and widespread violence,” “forced labor,” “child labor” and “human rights abuses.”

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Alberta regulator approves controversial coal exploration applications at Grassy Mountain – by Emma Graney (Globe and Mail – May 16, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The Alberta Energy Regulator this week approved applications for coal exploration, drilling and water diversion at a site called Grassy Mountain in the south of the province – a decision some opponents vow to fight.

Thursday’s ruling by the AER is the latest development in a long-running battle over reviving the defunct metallurgical coal mining industry in the Crowsnest Pass, which has pitted neighbours and communities against one another. While approval to reopen an old mine on the site remains a long way off, this decision brings it one step closer.

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Chinese gold miner scours globe for takeover targets – by Yihui Xie, Sybilla Gross and Chongjing Li(Bloomberg News – May 16, 2025)

https://www.bloomberg.com/

A major Chinese gold producer is scouting for acquisition opportunities around the world, although the recent price volatility driven by global trade turmoil means it’s not rushing to secure deals.

“There are so many projects on the market that owners are willing to sell,” Lydia Yang, chief executive officer of Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining Co., said in an online interview Thursday from Beijing. She noted there seemed to be more takeover opportunities this year than previously.

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Steven Guilbeault clings to the myth of peak oil – by Jamie Sarkonak (National Post – May 17, 2025)

https://nationalpost.com/

Beware net-zero activists claiming demand is about to drop

The first notable act of our newly-minted culture minister, Steven Guilbeault, was to recite to media scribes the myth of peak oil. Asked whether pipelines would continue to be a disruptor to Alberta-Ottawa relations, he replied:

“The Canadian energy regulator, as well as the International Energy Agency, are telling us that probably by 2028, 2029, demand for oil will peak globally and it will also peak in Canada.” “So… before we start talking about building an entirely new pipeline, maybe we should maximize the use of existing infrastructure.”

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Inside the U.S. deep-sea mining ‘gold rush’ Kenza Bryan, Camilla Hodgson and Harry Dempsey (Financial Post – May 19, 2025)

https://financialpost.com/

Trump’s EO on undersea minerals has encouraged mining companies, but critics say it will damage the environment

In a vast storage room at a nickel plant in Hachinohe, northern Japan, a group of men in suits and hard hats are squatting on the floor admiring a row of trays. One contains a jet-black, rubble-like ore, which crumbles to dust when handled. In another, there are bright cubes of metal, which they are examining enthusiastically.

These men, traders from commodities powerhouses Mitsubishi Corporation and Glencore PLC, as well as managers from Chinese and Korean metals groups and the Japanese battery producer Panasonic Energy, have been assembled by the Canadian mining group The Metals Company (TMC).

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US-led peace talks could boost Rwandan processing of Congo minerals, sources say – by Sonia Rolley and Daphne Psaledakis (Reuters – May 20, 2025)

https://www.reuters.com/

Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.S., three sources told Reuters.

Kinshasa views the plundering of its mineral wealth as a key driver of the conflict between its forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo that has intensified since January, accusing Kigali of smuggling tens of millions of dollars worth of minerals over the border each month to be sold from Rwanda.

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‘A total surprise’: Municipalities unprepared for uranium exploration in their backyard – by Frances Willick (CBC News Nova Scotia – May 20, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/

Leaders say they need more information and education about the issue

Some municipal leaders are feeling unprepared and uninformed after learning their regions could become home to the first uranium exploration in Nova Scotia in almost 45 years.

On Wednesday, the Nova Scotia government issued a request for exploration proposals at three sites it believes have uranium deposits. The three sites include areas near Louisville in Pictou County, East Dalhousie in Annapolis County and Millet Brook in Hants County. “It’s a total surprise to us,” said Robert Parker, warden of Pictou County.

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NEWS RELEASE: The Chiefs of Ontario responds to the tabling of 2025 Ontario budget (May 15, 2025)

(Toronto, Ont.–May 15, 2025) The Chiefs of Ontario has issued the following statement in response to the 2025 Ontario budget, tabled today at Queen’s Park:

Today’s budget is largely a response to the ongoing economic concerns stemming from U.S. tariffs with a heavy focus on mineral development in Ontario. The word “reconciliation” only appears twice in this year’s budget, both in reference to the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. The word “mineral” is repeated 63 times, and “Ring of Fire” is repeated 16.

Among the key investments announced in today’s budget is $70 million over four years into the Indigenous Participation Fund (formerly known as the Aboriginal Participation Fund), as well as $10 million for scholarships for First Nations students interested in working in resource development. The budget also commits to tripling loan guarantees through the Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program to $3 billion, up from $1 billion.

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As Pacific Islands Caution Against Seabed Mining, the US Prepares to Trash the Rules – by Camilla Pohle (The Diplomat – May 16, 2025)

https://thediplomat.com/

The White House’s executive order last month purports to authorize mining in international waters – against the authority of a U.N. regulatory body.

In recent years, deep-sea mining has emerged as a polarizing issue in the Pacific Islands, and the nascent industry is not yet regulated. Now the region is contending with another challenge: the potential breakdown of international rules that might be the marine environment’s last defense.

The Pacific seabed is estimated to hold billions of dollars worth of manganese, cobalt, copper, and nickel, which are used to make smartphones, batteries for electric vehicles, and solar panels, and which are also crucial to the defense and aerospace industries.

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Ford government denies bill to speed up development will override environmental and Indigenous concerns – by Kristin Rushowy and Noor Javed (Toronto Star – May 18, 2025)

https://www.thestar.com/

Premier Doug Ford has said Bill 5 is needed to speed up much-needed investments and projects especially as the province tries to weather ongoing economic threats from the U.S. Endangered species will be at further risk under a new bill environmental groups also say gives the government too much power to fast-track mining and infrastructure projects anywhere it wants.

Premier Doug Ford has said Bill 5 is needed to speed up much-needed investments and projects — like the Ring of Fire mineral site in the north, or even a plan to potentially tunnel under Highway 401 to ease traffic congestion in Toronto — especially as the province tries to weather ongoing economic threats from the U.S.

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Canadian Ingenuity: Anyox, the ghost of a mining town in the mountains – by Susanna McLeod (Kingston Whig – August 08, 2024)

https://www.thewhig.com/

Distant from roads or rail lines, the copper mine in northwestern British Columbia was accessible only by ship. Established in the early 1900s, the mining town of Anyox was a thriving hub of production and home comforts until the collapse of the copper market during the Great Depression. The company had no choice. The Anyox camp was abandoned in 1935.

Demand for copper flourished in the mid-1800s, and industry responded with surveys and new mines. In 1889, explorations in the Boundary Range of the Coastal Mountains and the temperate rainforest revealed copper at a remote location off Portland Canal, near Observatory Inlet.

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Excerpt From 2025 Ontario Budget: A Plan to Protect Ontario – Critical Minerals, Ring of Fire and Indigenous Initiatives (May 15, 2025)

https://www.budget.ontario.ca/2025/pdf/2025-ontario-budget-en.pdf   (pages 36 – 43)

Ontario calls on the federal government to recognize the important role that Ontario shipbuilders can play in the National Shipbuilding Strategy to bolster Canada’s domestic shipbuilding capabilities, as well as supporting Canada in meeting and exceeding its two per cent of GDP NATO spending target as part of national defence commitments.

Unleashing the Economic Potential of Critical Minerals

The imposition of U.S. tariffs has highlighted the urgent need to bolster Ontario’s economic resilience. This includes greater emphasis on domestically sourced critical minerals to maintain secure supply chains and unleash Ontario’s economy.

Critical minerals, such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements, are the foundation upon which modern technology is built. Rapidly changing technologies are, in turn, increasing the global demand for critical minerals, which have become important to strategic industries, including in the defence, aerospace, automotive and energy sectors.

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