Metals | A Blog for Browsing Mining, Mineral Processing, and Metals Info

Category Archives: Metals

#China metals firms see #US rules unlikely to upend supply chains

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Chinese firms producing and processing battery materials see new US rules aimed at limiting Beijing’s grip on the electric-vehicle industry as less stringent than feared, allowing them to preserve a key role in the global supply chain.

Washington’s move, which seeks to cut China out of US tax credits and curb the country’s control over joint ventures, created uncertainty at the end of last week, with questions swirling around the status of Chinese-owned battery-material operations outside the mainland, and over the impact on the wider car and battery industry.

#Norway lawmakers back deep-sea mining in Arctic Ocean

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Norway has secured a parliamentary majority to go ahead with plans to open the Arctic Ocean to seabed mineral exploration, despite environmental groups and the fishing industry’s warnings that the move would risk the biodiversity of vulnerable ecosystems.

The country’s minority centre-left government and two large opposition parties backed on Tuesday a government’s proposal announced in June to position the country as a frontrunner in commercial-scale deep-sea mining.

The move by the European country, where vast oil and gas reserves have made it one of the world’s wealthiest nations, has as goal to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels.

#Congo’s #Gecamines to push for #Copper, #Cobalt trading share

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Congo’s state mining group Gecamines said it will push to secure the rights to buy copper and cobalt at mines it has holdings in, as it attempts to build its own stocks and trade the metals.

To do so, Gecamines needs to amend some terms of its joint venture agreements in Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the world’s top supplier of battery-grade cobalt and the third largest copper producer after Peru and Chile.

DOD Enters Agreement to Expand Domestic Graphite Supply Chain

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

The Department of Defense announced today a $3.2 million agreement with South Star Battery Metals Corporation (South Star) to support domestic production of Coated, Spheronized, Purified Graphite (CSPG) at their BamaStar Graphite Project (BGP) in Coosa County, Alabama.

“This is another example of the critical importance of the Defense Production Act investment authorities,” said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, ASD(IBP). “As one of our first awards to a Canadian company in the battery materials sector, this award exemplifies our combined commitment to strengthening our battery material supply chains and global approach to industrial base resilience.”

The agreement with South Star, entered into under Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III authorities and utilizing funds appropriated by the Inflation Reduction Act, will enable the company to perform a bankable feasibility study. The study will cover the entire process from mining to final production of CSPG, exploring both economic and environmental, social, and governance criteria. Upon successful completion of the bankable feasibility study, South Star plans to construct a downstream battery-grade processing facility in the southeast United States that would take concentrates from the BamaStar mine site and transform it into CSPG. This will be used as feedstock for domestic lithium-ion battery anode production, contributing to a more complete U.S.-based graphite anode supply chain.

#Indonesia to Trace #Nickel in Bid for #US Critical Minerals Deal

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Indonesia plans to introduce nickel tracing and push local producers to reach global mining standards to help the country move closer to securing a critical minerals deal with the US.

Each ton of nickel ore sales will be tracked using the SIMBARA portal starting next quarter, Septian Hario Seto, a deputy at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, said in an interview. Top producers will also be encouraged to get certifications from global entities like The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, he added.

International certification will ensure the companies’ environmental, social and governance practices are recognized, said Seto, who oversees investment coordination and mining at the ministry. “It is for our own interest, regardless of the deal with the US,” he added.

Indonesia is seeking a critical minerals agreement with the US to help realize President Joko Widodo’s goal of building an entire electric-vehicle supply chain onshore by taking advantage of the country’s nickel riches. Jokowi, as the leader is known, met with US President Joe Biden earlier this week and agreed to continue efforts to potentially reach such a deal.

#China ups critical minerals heat with #Graphite controls

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

China is upping the critical minerals stakes by curbing exports of graphite, a key raw material in electric vehicle batteries.

The West can’t say it wasn’t warned.

When China announced restrictions on exports of gallium and germanium in July, former Vice Commerce Minister Wei Jianguo was quoted in the China Daily as saying it was “just the start” if the West continued to target China’s high-technology sector.

Restricting the flow of two metals used in the manufacture of silicon chips was “a well-thought-out heavy punch” in reaction to the US Chips Act, Wei said.

The Biden administration has since tightened restrictions on the flow of advanced artificial intelligence chips to China, announcing on Friday a new raft of measures aimed at closing previous loopholes.

China is responding in kind, this time taking aim at the West’s electric vehicle (EV) ambitions.