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#DRC – #Kinshasa on verge of winning its bet on the #Cobalt market

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Illustration of the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted on a map of Africa, featuring a mining scene with a mineral processing plant and various minerals like cobalt, copper, coltan, and lithium. The country's flag is prominently displayed.

Fully focused on its goal of regulating the precious mineral sector, Félix Tshisekedi’s presidency expects significant fiscal returns this year. The authorities, however, have had to contend with pressure from Chinese operators eager to obtain larger quotas, as well as the reluctance of certain administrations.

Under the presidency of Félix Tshisekedi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is aggressively reshaping its role in the global mineral market, specifically targeting the cobalt and gold sectors to maximize state revenue and economic sovereignty.

Fiscal Returns and Strategic Control

For 2026, the Congolese Treasury has set ambitious financial targets tied to its newfound status as a market “price maker”.

Projected Revenue: The government expects roughly $2.3 billion in public revenue this year from cobalt alone.
Market Influence: By implementing a strict quota system (capped at 96,600 tonnes for 2026), Kinshasa successfully pushed prices from $21,000 in early 2025 to over $56,000 as of April 2026.
Alternative Scenario: Authorities estimate that without these regulatory interventions, revenues would have been limited to approximately $617 million.

Friction with Chinese Operators

The administration is navigating complex relationships with Chinese mining companies, which currently dominate much of the DRC’s mineral extraction.

Quota Resistance: Major Chinese firms, notably CMOC Group, have vocally opposed the 2026 quotas, arguing they are too restrictive compared to their production capacity.
Processing Ultimatum: The Ministry of Mines is leveraging these quotas to force Chinese operators into local processing agreements, aiming to shift the country away from being a mere raw material exporter.
Audit of Legacy Deals: In March 2026, the government launched a comprehensive technical and financial audit of the Sicomines “infrastructure-for-minerals” deal to ensure compliance and fair returns.

Administrative and Geopolitical Hurdles

Domestic and international pressures continue to complicate the regulatory rollout:

Bureaucratic Reluctance: Delays in implementing new export procedures at the end of 2025 caused bottlenecks at key transit points like the Kasumbalesa border post, forcing the government to refine its administrative arrangements.
The “U.S. Pivot”: Under a strategic partnership signed in late 2025, the U.S. is pushing for access to critical minerals to counter Chinese dominance. This includes a 44-project shortlist handed to Washington in February 2026, creating additional geopolitical friction.
New Enforcement Measures: To counter administrative weakness, the state recently partnered with Quantum to establish a “tax brigade” for better oversight of mining operators.

#Lithium processing innovation is paving the way for a clean energy economic boom in #Alberta

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A digital globe featuring Canada highlighted with the Canadian flag, indicating it as the 3rd largest lithium resource. The background includes futuristic data visuals.

#Indonesia bets on nickel levy to break its #China habit

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A stylized image of Indonesia's map cut out from an Indonesian flag background, showcasing an industrial scene within the map outline.

Indonesia’s sweeping nickel downstreaming policy, launched in 2020, is entering a more consequential phase. Having successfully halted raw ore exports, the government is now preparing to deploy a more assertive instrument: an additional export levy on processed nickel products.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who also oversees investment, has made clear that the move is not merely about boosting state revenue but about navigating mounting global economic uncertainty and growing saturation in the base metals market.

The proposal is a direct response to the oversupply of lower-grade nickel products — such as nickel pig iron and ferronickel — which have flooded global markets from Indonesia’s rapidly expanding smelting sector.

This glut has depressed international nickel prices, eroding royalties and state income. From a mining economics perspective, the policy represents a large-scale market correction aimed at safeguarding the value of Indonesia’s strategic resources from being undervalued internationally.

The levy will target nickel derivatives produced through pyrometallurgical processes, particularly nickel pig iron and ferronickel, whose nickel content remains relatively low to mid-range.

Idaho National Laboratory (#INL) – #CriticalMinerals Recycling Innovations

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Illustration of the state of Idaho featuring an INL Recycling Innovations facility, surrounded by mountains and greenery, with recycling materials displayed.

The critical materials in discarded rocks, e-waste and other sources don’t degrade over time and can be recovered. However, the U.S. lacks the infrastructure to recycle them.

Recycling facilities could tap into these largely untouched sources, helping meet U.S. demand. These facilities could be built far more quickly than new mines, which can take over a decade due to permitting, costs and infrastructure needs.

“The U.S. doesn’t recycle well,” said Bob Fox, a senior manager at INL. “There’s a willingness to recover critical materials from recycled sources, but there’s no infrastructure or market for it. Right now, critical materials recycling doesn’t have the economic incentives to drive infrastructure development.”

INL is working to change that by making recycling more efficient, less energy-intensive and economically viable.

“Recycling represents a crucial pathway for the U.S. to obtain critical materials, including rare earth elements like dysprosium,” said Arindam Mukhopadhyay, a staff scientist at INL. “Even critical materials we mine domestically, such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, can be recovered through recycling.”

#Chinese #Lithium battery electrolyte could double #EV range and run in extreme cold

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A glowing, ice-covered battery surrounded by a snowy landscape, emitting blue and green electrical energy.

Chinese scientists have created an all-weather electrolyte that could improve lithium batteries, allowing them to operate more efficiently at room temperature and in extreme environments.

The research team from Shanghai and Tianjin said batteries made using the hydrofluorocarbon-based electrolyte had more than double the energy density of those made with traditional electrolytes when operating at room temperature.

They said the batteries could also operate efficiently at minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit).

Electrolytes are chemical media that enable the transport of ions between the positive and negative electrodes in a battery.

For the past few decades, conventional lithium-based battery electrolytes have mainly been composed of oxygen and nitrogen-based compounds due to their effectiveness in dissolving lithium salts, the team said.

However, these electrolytes have limited charge transfer capabilities, leading to challenges in fast charging or low-temperature performance that limit efficiency and can lead to safety concerns.

The researchers from Nankai University and SISP – which is affiliated with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation – found a way to synthesise fluorine-based electrolytes for lithium-metal batteries, which offer reduced viscosity, improved stability and better low-temperature performance.

Using one of their fabricated hydrogen, fluorine and carbon-based electrolytes, the team created lithium-metal pouch batteries with an energy density of more than 700 watt-hours per kilogram at room temperature and 400 watt-hours per kilogram at minus 50 degrees.

#Congo and China deepen mining ties as #US pushes rival minerals pact – includes duty-free access and promotion of local processing.

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Two miners, one wearing a blue helmet and the other a red helmet, shake hands in front of a large map of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, showcasing mining areas. A construction site is visible in the background with heavy machinery and several workers.

Congo’s exports to China are already due to benefit from duty-free access to China from May 1 under an initiative covering 53 African countries.

The new agreement sets out cooperation on geological data sharing, investment protection and the promotion of local processing of raw materials in Congo, according to the Congolese government statement published late on Thursday.

It also includes a monitoring mechanism to ensure projects comply with Congolese law and are implemented in a stable and transparent investment environment.

#BASF launches biggest overseas project in #China with green-powered mega-site

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Aerial view of an industrial site featuring large oil refinery structures, solar panels in the foreground, and wind turbines in the background, under a bright blue sky.

German chemical giant opens US$10 billion Zhanjiang complex, its largest overseas investment, as Beijing courts foreign capital.

Germany’s chemical giant BASF has launched operations at its China production base – its largest overseas investment to date – with a total outlay of €8.7 billion (US$10 billion), and the country’s first wholly foreign-owned large-scale Verbund site.

The company on Thursday inaugurated the world-scale complex in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, designed to run entirely on renewable electricity.

A Verbund site is an integrated chemical complex where plants, energy use and materials are interconnected to maximise efficiency and minimise waste.

The site has brought 18 plants and 32 production lines into operation, producing more than 70 types of products spanning basic chemicals, intermediates and specialty chemicals for industries including transport, consumer goods, electronics, home care and personal care.

Energy Fuels Produces ‘Heavy’ #RareEarthMetal at #Utah Mill

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A stylized map of the United States filled with the American flag design, featuring an industrial processing facility in Utah with large equipment and a sign that reads 'Energy Fuels'.

Energy Fuels Inc. produced a so-called heavy rare earth element for the first time at its plant in Utah, advancing efforts to build a domestic supply of critical minerals used in electronics and defense technology.

The US company said on 24th March 2026 that it successfully recovered its first kilogram of terbium oxide at the White Mesa Mill as part of a pilot project to scale production at the facility, which predominantly processes uranium.

Terbium — a heavy rare earth element — is essential to building magnets that support consumer electronics, cars and military-grade weaponry. Heavy rare earths are less abundant and typically more valuable than “light” elements such as neodymium-praseodymium. Mining companies like Energy Fuels are pushing to scale production of these metals through facilities in the US as part of the United States effort to create a supply chain that circumvents China.

Two Months of #RareEarths Left – #Reuters / #SCMP

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

“You can’t fight a twenty-first-century war with twentieth-century supply chains”. “Modern weapons rely on materials that are difficult to source, difficult to process, and difficult to replace once inventories begin to tighten.”

Reports from the South China Morning Post and Reuters indicate Washington could have only weeks or months of certain rare-earth inventories available for defense manufacturing if supply disruptions deepen.

Rare earth elements are embedded throughout modern military systems—from missile guidance and drone propulsion to radar systems and fighter aircraft electronics.

Note: War is only necessary for protecting human rights, human lives and the nature.

#China spent $120B to lock down #CriticalMinerals overseas

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Graphic illustrating China's $120 billion investment in critical minerals, featuring a map of China, construction machinery, renewable energy elements, and various mineral resources.

China has invested more than $120 billion in overseas mining and upstream processing since 2023, accelerating a state-backed push to secure the raw materials underpinning the global energy transition, says Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF).

A study published last week reveals that China’s spending targeted a wide range of commodities — including lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths and bauxite — that are essential for electric vehicles, renewable power and industrial decarbonization.

Vertical integration at scale

The CEF research also finds that China’s outbound investment in mining is only one piece of a much larger industrial strategy.

Since early 2023, Chinese firms have also deployed more than $220 billion into downstream sectors such as battery manufacturing, electric vehicles, grids, solar and wind infrastructure, creating what researchers describe as a vertically integrated global cleantech expansion.