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

Category Archives: World Economy

#NASA’s Advanced Hyperspectral Systems Revolutionise #CriticalMineral Discovery

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A satellite equipped for mineral mapping is shown orbiting Earth, with colorful mineral mapping data displayed over mountainous terrain.

NASA mineral mapping technology represents a groundbreaking advancement in mineral exploration, utilising hyperspectral imaging to identify critical battery materials from stratospheric altitudes. This technology captures electromagnetic radiation across 224 contiguous spectral bands, enabling detection of lithium, cobalt, and titanium compounds across vast geographic regions whilst accelerating discovery timelines that traditionally required decades of ground-based exploration.

NASA mineral mapping technology operates fundamentally differently from conventional satellite imaging through its ability to capture electromagnetic radiation across 224 contiguous spectral bands spanning 400-2,500 nanometres. Traditional satellite systems like Landsat utilise only 11 spectral bands, while Sentinel-2 operates with 13 bands, creating significant limitations in mineral identification capabilities.

#Bloomberg: #US #RareEarth Buyers Still See #China Curbs Despite #Trump Deal

Posted on December 26, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A metallic ring placed on a rocky surface, with Chinese and American flags blurred in the background, symbolizing the geopolitical tension over rare earth elements.

December 25, 2025 at 3:39 AM ES

China is still restricting the rare earth elements that the US needs to produce its own permanent magnets and other products even after President Donald Trump reached a deal with his Chinese counterpart in October to lift restrictions on the supplies, according to market participants.

More than a dozen consumers, producers, government officials and trade experts said that while China has boosted deliveries of finished products — primarily permanent magnets — the US industry remains unable to acquire the inputs needed to make those items on its own, a key priority for the administration.

#Japan to test mine #RareEarth mud from deep seabed

Posted on December 23, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

An underwater vehicle equipped with a Japanese flag is surrounded by swirling rare-earth-rich mud, highlighting Japan's deep-sea mining efforts for critical minerals.

TOKYO, Dec 23 (Reuters) – Japan will conduct test mining of rare-earth-rich mud from the deep seabed off Minamitori Island, some 1,900 kilometres (1,180 miles) southeast of Tokyo, from January 11 to February 14, the head of the government-backed project said on Tuesday.

The operation will mark the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth mud from a depth of around 6,000 meters on to a vessel.

Tokyo, like its Western allies, is seeking to secure stable supplies of critical minerals as China, the dominant supplier of rare earths, tightens export controls.

“One of our missions is to build a supply chain for domestically produced rare earths to ensure stable supply of minerals essential to industry,” Shoichi Ishii, program director of the Cabinet Office’s national platform for innovative ocean developments, told reporters.

The Japanese government is pressing ahead with a national project as part of broader efforts to strengthen maritime and economic security.

The January test will focus on connecting the deep-sea mining system and confirming its ability to lift 350 metric tons of rare-earth mud per day. Environmental impacts will be monitored both onboard and on the seabed throughout the operation.

No production target has been set, but if successful, a full-scale mining trial will be conducted in February 2027.

The government-funded project has spent about 40 billion yen ($256 million) since 2018, Ishii said, though estimated reserves have not been disclosed.

#Canada #Nickel posts country’s top metal district

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A close-up view of rocky terrain with the word 'NICKEL' prominently featured, incorporating a maple leaf design and a Canadian flag in the corner.

Two new initial resources for Canada Nickel’s (TSX-V: CNC; US-OTC: CNIKF) sulphide deposits in northern Ontario now make its Timmins Nickel District the largest undeveloped nickel base in the country and among the largest globally by contained metal.

The Bannockburn deposit hosts 63 million indicated tonnes grading 0.28% nickel for 180,000 tonnes of contained metal, and 129 million inferred tonnes at 0.27% nickel for 340,000 contained tonnes, the company reported Thursday.

Midlothian holds 595 million inferred tonnes grading 0.28% nickel for 1.68 million tonnes of nickel.

Those resources bump the total contained nickel across the company’s eight projects by about 12% to 20.9 million tonnes.

Globally, the Timmins District tops The Metals Company’s (Nasdaq: TMC) resource for its seabed Clarion-Clipperton Zone project that hosts an estimated 15.5 million contained tonnes of nickel and other critical metals.

#US-#Tanzania push aids Lifezone’s #Kabanga #Nickel build

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

An underground mining scene showcasing a nickel deposit, featuring mining trucks, machinery, and flags representing the U.S. and a country with a green, yellow, and red design.

Kabanga is an underground nickel sulphide deposit – higher grade and less energy-intensive to process than Indonesia’s surface laterites, which typically require high-pressure acid leach processing methods. That ore-type difference underpins Kabanga’s cost profile.

Kabanga hosts proven and probable reserves of 52.2 million tonnes grading about 2% nickel, 0.27% copper and 0.15% cobalt.

Why #China will still dominate #RareEarths for a long time?

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Rare Earths Aren’t Rare for Everyone.

The four decades that China spent building dominance in the small world of critical minerals is proving frustratingly hard to overcome.

Energy independence was for decades a fantasy in the US, until the advent of a new kind of oil production technology in the early aughts changed the rules of the game. Thanks to fracking and horizontal drilling, the US overtook petroleum heavyweights such as Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world’s top oil producer, no longer at the mercy of mercurial trading partners.

Today, President Donald Trump’s White House is chasing a similar dream—this time with rare earth elements, the hard-to-pronounce metals that underpin much of modern technology. But unlike with shale oil and gas, it’s extremely unlikely the US is going to be able to innovate its way out of this profound deficit anytime soon.

#US minerals projects seek ‘industrial vision’ from #Washington to compete with #China

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A serious-looking man in a black jacket holding a mineral sample, with a backdrop featuring the maps of the U.S. and China, representing the competition in the minerals sector.

Washington must move even faster to bolster critical minerals projects and offset Beijing’s grip on the world’s supply of the building blocks for electronics, weapons and a range of other goods, three U.S. mining and refining executives said on Thursday.

The push underscores how Washington’s surging support this year for the sector – including taking stakes in mining companies and guaranteeing a price floor for the only U.S. rare earths mine – is falling short of what industry leaders say is needed amid intense Chinese competition.

Executives from Perpetua Resources, American Rare Earths and Westwin Elements told the Reuters NEXT conference in New York that the U.S. government should release a comprehensive minerals plan, pressure Indonesia to trim nickel production, and speed up the time for the U.S. Export-Import Bank and other agencies to approve loan funding, among other steps.

#India’s push for self-reliance in #RareEarth Magnet making is laudable

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A collection of various rare earth magnets in different shapes and colors, displayed prominently in an industrial setting, with flags of India in the background.

Presently, there are a few small Indian companies engaged in manufacturing rare earth magnets. The industry needs a big push to feed the new generation of industries – from electric vehicles to fighter aircraft engines, wind turbines, and laptops to mention a few. Lately, it has come into a big focus as the world is moving towards electric vehicles. Rare earth magnet is a crucial component of electric vehicles (EVs). Fortunately, India has large rare earth deposits. Globally, it ranks third after China and Brazil.

The demand for rare earth magnets in India is expected to increase sharply in the coming years, driven by the expansion of EV manufacturing, increasing electronics output, defence production, industrial automation and renewable energy generation. For the present, the country uses rare earth magnets to the extent of 4,000 tonnes per year, mostly through imports. Among the companies currently manufacturing rare earth magnets in India are: IREL (India) Limited, Permanent Magnets Limited, Ashvini Magnets Private Limited, Star Trace, Eriez Magnets, Kumar Magnet, Sonal Magnetics, A to Z Magnet Mfg. Co. and Pragati Enterprises. The demand for rare earth magnets is projected to double by 2030. Lately, China has imposed restrictions on exports. Earlier this year, China slapped export licenses for seven types of rare earth elements and derivative products.

Posted on October 19, 2016

‘#India not realising potential of #RareEarth industry’

#Indian Govt clears Rs 7,280 crore scheme to boost #RareEarth magnet manufacturing

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A manufacturing facility in India with workers, machines, and an Indian flag displayed prominently.

An official government release stated, “This first-of-its-kind initiative aims to establish 6,000 Metric Tons per Annum (MTPA) of integrated Rare Earth PM IndiaPermanent Magnet (REPM) manufacturing in India, thereby enhancing self-reliance and positioning India as a key player in the global REPM market.”

The government plans to allocate the proposed capacity to up to five beneficiaries through a global competitive bidding process, with each eligible for a maximum of 1,200 MTPA. The scheme will run for seven years, including a two-year gestation period to establish fully integrated REPM manufacturing facilities and five years of incentives linked to actual sales.

October 19, 2016

‘#India not realising potential of #RareEarth industry’

Energy Department (#DOE) Issues EOI for Volumetric Contaminated #Nickel Technology

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A close-up view of silver ingots arranged in a line within an industrial facility featuring machinery, with an American flag visible in the background.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Portsmouth Paducah Project Office has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) seeking input from industry on operationally mature technologies capable of supporting the potential reuse of approximately 9,700 tons of volumetrically contaminated nickel stored at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Paducah, Kentucky.

DOE will use the information gathered from this EOI to evaluate whether it is in the Department’s best interest to have industry selectively extract the nickel from the ingots to produce a high-purity nickel product suitable for release into commerce in accordance with DOE’s criteria for unrestricted release of materials. (DOE Order 458.1).

Responses gathered as part of this EOI may also be used in the future to develop an acquisition strategy for commercial-scale processing of a nickel extraction technology. This effort could support broader national energy priorities, including grid-scale batteries, the nuclear power industry, and artificial intelligence initiatives, contingent upon:

Successful technical validation of the proposed process (including verification testing)
Completion of an economic assessment, by DOE, of the proposed approach demonstrating, if appropriate, the overall advantages of the initiative
The development of an acceptable regulatory approval and environmental impact evaluation approach.