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New Turmoil in Regulating Deep Seabed Mining on the High Seas – by Tom LaTourrette and Douglas Ligor(Modern Diplomacy – April 27, 2025)

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The still potential-but-perhaps-soon-to-be-real world of seabed mining took an interesting turn in the past month.

The still potential-but-perhaps-soon-to-be-real world of seabed mining took an interesting turn in the past month. The announcement from The Metals Company that it “has formally initiated a process…to apply for exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits under existing U.S. legislation, the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 (DSHMRA)” came just prior to the White House’s issuance of a new executive order authorizing this approach.

These announcements mark major course changes. The Metals Company is essentially giving up on the existing international framework to govern and regulate seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the high seas), and the U.S., which to date has been a largely passive observer of efforts to develop seabed mining, may be about to thrust itself into the center of the action.

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Teck, tariffs, and the Red Dog zinc mine – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – April 28, 2025)

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

Teck Resources Ltd. CEO Johnathan Price says the diversified Canadian miner’s portfolio of American mining operations delivering metals critical to 21st-century energy and technologies are well-positioned to weather a geopolitical storm that threatens to hobble the global economy, fuel inflation, and disrupt supply chains.

“Despite these headwinds, we believe that the fundamentals for our key metals, copper and zinc, are robust over the medium and long term as several macro factors continue to drive demand,” he informed analysts and investors during an April 24 earnings call. “These metals are essential for global manufacturing and development, industrial policy and national security, electrification infrastructure, as well as the growth of the digital economy.”

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Why the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Act Was Enacted Swiftly and Silently – by Mariyam Suleman Anees (The Diplomat – April 28, 2025)

https://thediplomat.com/

The controversial law will undermine restive Balochistan’s rights over its mineral reserves.

In the second week of March, while the media was busy covering the deadly train hijacking in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, the provincial assembly quietly and in great haste passed an important and now controversial piece of legislation: the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Act, 2025.

With little to no discussion or opposition to the bill, it silently slipped through the Balochistan provincial assembly and became an act on March 14, receiving barely any media coverage. Only after a similar bill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province sparked controversy did the Balochistan Mines and Minerals Act come into the limelight.

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BC First Nation files ‘urgent’ injunction to halt tailings dam construction at Mount Polley mine – by Amanda Stutt (Mining.com – April 28, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

A British Columbia First Nation filed on Friday an injunction application on an “urgent basis” in Supreme Court to halt construction to raise the dam at the former Mount Polley gold mine. Xatśūll First Nation government is part of the larger Secwepemc (Shuswap) nation, located in the Cariboo region of the Canadian province.

The Xatśūll First Nation first filed a judicial review on April 15 with the Supreme Court of BC against the province’s minister of mining and critical minerals, the minister of environment and parks, the provincial deputy permitting officer, major mines offices and the Mount Polley Mining Corporation to overturn two provincial decisions authorizing Mount Polley Mining (MPMC) to raise the height of the dam at its tailings storage facility (TSF).

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US-Europe fault lines widen over critical raw materials at IEA energy security summit – by Julienne Raboca (Fastmarkets – April 28, 2025)

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US advocates for continued fossil fuel development

At a panel on integrating energy security within a broader security network, acting US Assistant Secretary for Energy – Tommy Joyce delivered a blunt assessment of clean energy technology vulnerabilities, directly challenging the European push for rapid decarbonization.

“For true energy security, we must leverage all resources that are affordable, that are available, and that are secure,” Joyce said. “It’s about energy addition, not subtraction. And there’s no world in which the demand for energy is going to decrease.”

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New Osisko study for Cariboo project lifts NPV, costs – by Frederic Tomesco (Northern Miner – April 28, 2025)

Global mining news

An updated feasibility study for Osisko Development’s (TSXV, NYSE: ODV) Cariboo gold project in British Columbia increases net present value (NPV) by 88% even as estimated capital expenditures climb by more than one-third.

Cariboo’s after-tax NPV now stands at $943 million, up from a 2023 estimate of $502 million, Osisko said Monday in a statement. Projected capital expenditures are pegged at $1.41 billion compared with $1.02 billion previously.

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Burkina Faso to Nationalise More Industrial Mines in Strategic Shift – by John Zadeh (Discovery Alert – April 29, 2025)

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Burkina Faso’s Mining Nationalization: Strategic Resource Control in West Africa

In a major policy shift reshaping West Africa’s mining landscape, Burkina Faso has embarked on an ambitious nationalization program targeting its lucrative gold mining sector. The military-led government is systematically expanding state control over foreign-owned mines, positioning this resource nationalism as essential for economic sovereignty.

Prime Minister Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo recently confirmed in a televised address that Burkina Faso to nationalise more industrial mines following initial acquisitions from Western mining companies. “The Société de Participation Minière du Burkina has already recovered two industrial mines from private operators, and this process will continue,” he stated, signaling more takeovers on the horizon.

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Critical Minerals Are a US Headache, Not an Emergency – by Javier Blas (Bloomberg News – April 29, 2025)

https://www.advisorperspectives.com/

In the 1950s, the US was worried about the supply of mercury, because the liquid metal was key to power walkie-talkies during the Korean War. In the 1980s, analysts warned that mineral shortages to rival the OPEC oil shock could undermine the Cold War arsenal.

Today, the concern is about China cornering the market for lithium and cobalt, which are needed for high-capacity batteries. The panic over the years has inevitably influenced policy even if heeding cooler heads would offer reassurance. Which brings us to the current US administration.

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Unlocking investment in critical minerals in Kazakhstan – by Caroline Peachey (Mining Technology – April 29, 2025)

https://www.mining-technology.com/

Kazakhstan is looking to position itself as a key player in the global critical minerals supply chain, starting with battery materials.

Kazakhstan hosts substantial reserves of critical minerals including rare earth elements (REEs), copper, lithium, tungsten, tantalum as well as other materials essential for modern technologies and the energy transition.

Recognising the strategic importance of these resources, the Kazakh Government has introduced efforts to attract foreign investment and technological expertise to develop its critical minerals sector.

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Billionaire investor John Paulson sees gold near $5,000 by 2028 – by Ernest Scheyder (Reuters – April 29, 2025)

https://www.reuters.com/

Central bank gold buying and global trade tensions are likely to push bullion prices to near $5,000 an ounce by 2028, billionaire investor John Paulson said in an interview during which he reinforced his commitment to US mining projects

The price forecast is one of the most bullish yet as banks and others move to increase their own estimates after gold hit a record high just above $3,500 last week. Deutsche Bank, for one, expects bullion to hit $3,700 an ounce by next year.

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Canadian gold miner Mandalay agrees to US$358-million takeover by smaller Australian competitor – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – April 29, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Australia’s Alkane Resources Ltd. is buying Canada’s Mandalay Resources Corp. in a US$358-million transaction driven by the contention that bigger is better in the gold industry. Perth-based Alkane and Toronto-based Mandalay hope that, by combining operations, investors will reward the combined company with a “rerate” – a higher stock-market multiple.

Despite record-high bullion prices, many gold miners continue to have difficulty attracting investors. That’s partly owing to the industry’s poor track record, but also the ease at which investors can gain exposure to gold through exchange-traded funds.

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Gates, Bezos-backed critical minerals explorer to ‘go big’ on Congo – report – by Staff (Mining.com – April 27, 2025)

https://www.mining.com/

KoBold Metals, the mining startup backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, is expanding its footprint into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with plans to invest billions into the African nation’s large endowment of resources, the Financial Times reported.

Benjamin Katabuka, the country’s newly appointed director general, told the British newspaper that KoBold is looking to “go big” in the DRC, currently the world’s biggest producer of cobalt and the leading copper producer on the continent.

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A respected figure on the Thunder Bay mining scene receives his due – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 28, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

John Mason is one of the four award recipients feted by Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association

One of Thunder Bay’s best known “mining people” was recently honoured by his peers at the Northwestern Ontario Prospectors Association awards.Retired provincial geologist and city economic developer John Mason was named the recipient of the Dan Calvert Distinguished Service Award.

Mason was one of four recipients during the association’s annual awards ceremony at the Ontario Prospectors & Explorers Symposium on April 15 in Thunder Bay.

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Things to know about the US coal industry and proposed changes under the Trump administration – by John Raby and Leah Willingham (Associated Press – April 27, 2025)

https://apnews.com/

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed several changes that would affect the struggling U.S. coal industry. Trump issued executive orders this month to allow mining on federal land.

He has used his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet the rising demand amid the growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars.

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Miners set to reap rewards of high gold prices but remain cautious on spending – by Ian Bickis (Canadian Press – April 25, 2025)

https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/

TORONTO – Record gold prices are translating into higher profits for Canadian producers and excitement about the potential for more growth, though miners remain cautious on spending. Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. was among the first big producers to report results after a quarter that saw gold top US$3,000 an ounce, while this week it pushed to over US$3,500 an ounce for the first time on U.S. instability fears.

The higher prices led Agnico Eagle, one of the world’s biggest gold producers, to report record adjusted net income of US$770 million for the quarter ending March 31, up from US$377 million last year. “The gold price performance over the past year has been remarkable,” said chief executive Ammar Al-Joundi on an earnings call Friday.

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