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#US: #Oklahoma’s #CriticalMinerals Hub: Driving Strategic Industrial Growth

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Oklahoma’s emergence as a critical minerals hub represents a strategic convergence of geographic advantages, established infrastructure, and national security imperatives. The state’s positioning within North American transportation networks, combined with abundant energy resources and experienced industrial workforce, creates unique opportunities for domestic processing operations that reduce import dependencies while supporting defense manufacturing requirements.

Oklahoma’s emergence as a strategic processing hub demonstrates how transportation networks and energy infrastructure create multiplicative advantages for critical minerals operations. The state’s positioning at the intersection of continental transportation corridors provides unprecedented access to both raw material sources and end-user markets across North America.

Chemical processing expertise from Oklahoma’s refining and petrochemical operations transfers directly to mineral separation and purification systems. Workers experienced in hydrocarbon separation, distillation, and reduction chemistry possess foundational knowledge for solvent extraction, precipitation, and crystallization processes essential to lithium, nickel, and rare earth processing.

Environmental compliance experience accumulated through decades of Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act requirements in energy operations reduces training requirements for mineral processing facilities. The regulatory framework familiarity and OSHA certification systems provide established pathways for workforce transition rather than development from baseline.

#Canada #Nickel nears four billion tonnes in total nickel resources near #Timmins

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Heavy mining equipment operating in a snowy landscape, with Canada Nickel branding and a Canadian flag overlay.

Canada Nickel has amassed almost four billion tonnes in nickel resources in the ground around Timmins.

Just before Christmas, the Toronto multi-mine developer published mineral resources for more two deposits, Midlothian and Bannockburn, both situated south of the city.

Like Canada Nickel’s other properties in the area, including its flagship Crawford project, the Midlothian and Bannockburn projects are shaping up to be low-grade, big-tonnage type of nickel deposits.

To date, Canada Nickel has posted resource estimates on eight of its nine properties in the region.

That amounts to 3.98 billion tonnes of 0.24 per cent nickel in the measured and Indicated resources, for a total of 9.4 million tonnes of nickel metal. There’s an inferred resource of 4.95 billion tonnes of 0.23 per cent nickel, for a total of 11.5 million tonnes of contained nickel metal.

#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.

#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.

#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’

#Canada has to act before the critical minerals window closes

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

Canada is entering a pivotal era, one in which leadership in critical minerals will determine our economic resilience and national security as global supply chains shift away from dependence on China.

Nickel is at the centre of this race and one of the resources in which Canada can once again become a global leader. The federal government’s referral of the Crawford Project to the Major Projects Office makes it clear that Ottawa understands the importance of what is unfolding in northeastern Ontario.

#US, #SaudiArabia strike deal to build #RareEarths refinery in the #Kingdom

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

An industrial facility with tall structures and pipes, featuring a US flag and a Saudi flag in a desert landscape.

Rare earths company MP Materials is partnering with the US military and Saudi Arabia’s flagship mining company to build a rare earth refinery in the Kingdom, in a move that aims to diversify the global critical minerals supply chain.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) and the Pentagon will create a joint venture to process rare earth materials from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world to supply the US and Saudi manufacturing and defense sectors.

#Canada #Nickel’s #Crawford Project referred to the Major Projects Office

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

In a rapidly shifting global landscape, we are building One Canadian Economy turbo-charged by major nation-building projects that unleash our natural resources, diversify our products and markets and create hundreds of thousands of high-paying careers for our workers, all while protecting the environment and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, visited Canada Nickel Company’s Crawford Project to highlight the Government of Canada’s efforts to build one Canadian economy and build Canada’s leadership in the critical minerals sector.

The Crawford Project will serve as an anchor of Canada’s global leadership in clean industrial materials. Located in the world’s second-largest nickel reserve, the Crawford Project will produce high-quality, low-carbon nickel essential for batteries and green steel. With projected emissions 90 percent below the global average and the potential for a net-negative carbon footprint, it represents a model for the future of responsible mining. Canada Nickel is also planning an expansion to commence once mining operations have started, which would include producing other metals such as iron, cobalt, platinum, palladium and chromium; developing a nickel refinery for stainless steel and electric vehicle markets; and planning to construct a stainless steel and alloy production facility. The project is expected to attract $5 billion in investment and could create 4,000 new careers, securing Canada’s place at the forefront of the clean economy.

Read: https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2025/11/canada-nickels-crawford-project-referred-to-the-major-projects-office.html