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#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.

#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.

#India to invite bids for Rs 7,280 crore #RareEarthMagnet manufacturing scheme on March 20

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A graphic representation of India featuring industrial workers, military equipment, and aircraft, symbolizing the country's manufacturing and defense sectors, alongside the Indian flag.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries is likely to call for bids under the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets (REPM) Friday. Officials said the Rs 7,280 crore scheme will promote domestic manufacturing of 6,000 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of magnets, strengthening supply chains for the automotive, defense, and aerospace sectors.

#China’s supply chain meets the wall of #African resource nationalism

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A conceptual image of Africa shaped by industrial elements, featuring the flags of China and a country in Africa, with containers labeled 'Made in China' and 'Export'. In the foreground, piles of lithium and cobalt minerals are labeled, set against a background of mining machinery and a cloudy sky.

Resource-rich African nations are increasingly asserting control over critical minerals to maximise domestic returns, sending global prices soaring and exerting pressure on Chinese supply chains.

One price crunch started last month when Zimbabwe, Africa’s biggest lithium producer, abruptly suspended exports of raw lithium minerals and concentrates.

Chinese battery producers, which rely on Zimbabwe for about 15 per cent of their total lithium concentrate supply, were hit particularly hard.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has also sought to extract higher returns from its mineral sales, imposing cobalt export controls last year following a sharp decline in global prices. The embargo was eventually replaced in October by a quota system to rebalance the market, with Kinshasa setting limits of 96,600 tonnes this year.

Although China dominates the processing of cobalt, an essential metal used in batteries for electric vehicles and other electronics, it depends heavily on the DR Congo for raw materials.

Namibia prohibited unprocessed mineral exports in 2023, while Tanzania and Malawi issued mandates for in-country refining and raw export bans last year. Ghana has set a 2030 deadline to halt raw bauxite and lithium shipments for its domestic battery industry.

In the $US offshore wind farm energy is making news during the current energy crunch.

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

In the US offshore wind farm energy is making news during the current energy crunch.

Will it be enough to break through administrative mind set to support more funding for renewable energy?

#US #CriticalMinerals talks advance with #EU, #Japan on price floor

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A display of critical metals featuring a metal ingot labeled 'CRITICAL METALS', two batteries, and assorted rocks, with the flags of the United States, European Union, and Japan in the background alongside the Statue of Liberty and Tokyo Tower.

The US, Japan and the European Union are set to announce plans in the coming weeks to lay the foundation for a trade agreement in critical minerals, according to people familiar with the preparations.

The Office of the US Trade Representative, which has led negotiations with Brussels and Tokyo on the framework, will also head talks for a trade deal that is set to include a price floor and tariffs for the materials to counter any market distortions by China, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Global efforts to diversify critical minerals supply chains intensified after Beijing last year imposed sweeping export controls, including on rare earths and critical minerals, in response to President Donald Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs, which set a 10% levy on nearly all American imports.

Beijing has threatened it would retaliate against the formation of a bloc that would target its exports.

The supply crunch has eased somewhat since its worst point last summer and fall, but companies still complain that they don’t receive the quantities they need and have ordered from Chinese suppliers.

#Lifezone Metals signs exclusivity deal for #Musongati #Nickel project in #Burundi

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Map outline of Burundi highlighting the Musongati Nickel mining site, showcasing lush green hills and mining operations.

Lifezone Metals said post-market Tuesday it signed an exclusivity agreement with Burundi’s government over the Musongati nickel laterite project, located in Burundi and part of the larger East African Nickel Belt, which also includes the company’s Kabanga nickel project.

The Musongati Nickel Project is Burundi’s most important nickel deposit and sits within the world-class NE-SW-trending line of mafic-ultramafic intrusions known as the Kabanga-Musongati Alignment of the East African Nickel Belt, the company said.

Lifezone said the 14-month exclusivity agreement allows it to commit its expertise and resources to assess the Musongati nickel laterite project within this initial exclusivity phase, as the company heads to a final investment decision on its key Kabanga nickel project in neighboring Tanzania.

A 2011 study defined a resource of more than 140M tons, making Musongati a major, large-tonnage, open-pittable resource.

#Japan, #France and #Canada work on alternatives to #US-led trade bloc for #RareEarth supplies

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A collage featuring critical minerals and rare earth elements, with landmarks from Japan, France, and Canada. Includes a magnet, smartphone, electronic components, and an electric car charging.

Group of Seven members Japan, France and Canada are working on alternatives to a U.S.-led trade bloc to secure critical minerals and reduce reliance on China, according to three senior officials from these countries.

Some ‌options include import quotas on certain rare earths, subsidies for mining companies to diversify the supply chain on critical minerals, and a buyers’ club,a Canada-led G7 initiative that aims to develop a reliable supply chain of critical minerals outside of China and break that country’s monopoly on these metals.

Rare earths are difficult-to-extract metals used in cell phones, EVs, and high-tech weapons. China currently controls over 90% of these metals and imposed export controls last year in retaliation for U.S. tariffs.

Japan has asked its manufacturing industries to strike commercial deals with rare earths projects that it has funded with allies such as France, Australia, and Canada.

“They might not be the cheapest, but now that the industry understands the balance of ‌risk ⁠and price, it is not a bad idea to use those projects,” Hatada explained.

Benjamin Gallezot, France’s interministerial delegate for supplies of strategic minerals and metals, told Reuters the U.S. proposal is one way to diversify, “but there are other ways to do it.” “There will not be a general policy, that is our view. Second, it has to be built and discussed between a large number of countries, not only the G7, but G7 plus.”

#RBC: Bridging #Canada’s #CriticalMinerals Capital Gap

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Capital is needed for Canada to take advantage of the critical minerals industry that’s projected to grow between two to three times globally with a capital requirement of US$500-600 billion by 2040, according to an International Energy Agency forecast. Global demand for six core commodities—cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, nickel and rare earth elements—will be driven by several growth sectors, including electric vehicles, clean energy infrastructure and space. As well as strategic sectors such as defence, manufacturing and electronics.

Canada holds world-class geology across all six metals but remains a relatively marginal player, accounting for roughly 2% of the global supply of the six metals. If identified projects proceed at full capacity, it could climb to 14% of total supply over the next 15 years, on average, according to Canadian government estimates. The development of vertical supply chains such as an expanded advanced manufacturing base, could have an exponential impact on Canadian supply to meet domestic and international demand.

Yet, Canada remains largely a “mine-and-ship” jurisdiction. Raw metals are shipped mostly to China where they are refined and transformed into high-value components. It’s the result of two decades of capital allocation decisions and the lack of a robust national strategy, but also China’s ability to depress metal prices to crush competitors.

There’s considerable global momentum to propel the Canadian critical minerals industry forward. The U.S. is leveraging its funding, market mechanisms and guarantees to build out a critical minerals market that excludes China. Meanwhile, Europe and several G20 allies are eager to diversify their critical minerals supply chain as they fear the Chinese industrial machine will crush their domestic economies and leave them ever more beholden to Beijing.

China’s recent export controls on key minerals—including rare earths, graphite, gallium, germanium—over the past year are a clarion call for Western countries to act.

Among its G7 allies, Canada is best equipped to take advantage: it’s home to high-grade lithium belts and graphite deposits in Quebec and Ontario, globally significant nickel resources in Manitoba, formidable copper reserves in British Columbia, and rare earth elements in pockets across Canada, including Newfoundland and Labrador. Few countries can claim this breadth across all six critical minerals at scale.

Closing the gap requires a coordinated public-private agenda anchored in sovereign co-investment, infrastructure financing, miner-driven shared processing corridors and integration into Western supply chains.

#Canada, #Brazil launch #AI push to find #Nickel deposits

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

A digital illustration highlighting critical minerals, specifically nickel, featuring the flags of Canada and Brazil, a map of South America with mineral deposits, and interactive data visualizations.

Canada and Brazil have signed a technical cooperation agreement to advance research aimed at identifying areas with a higher probability of containing nickel deposits.

The Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB) and the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) formalized the partnership during the PDAC 2026 global mining convention in Toronto and the signed the accord.

Researchers from both countries will collaborate on studies examining the geological processes responsible for the formation, concentration and preservation of nickel deposits. The work will focus on developing an integrated exploration approach that combines geoscientific databases, including geology, geochemistry, geophysics and remote sensing data.

The partnership will also apply mineral potential modelling using artificial intelligence, with results processed and compared on a shared research platform. Initial findings from the joint work are expected in 2027.

The collaboration will allow both countries to expand exploration capabilities by sharing expertise and modern techniques.

“The partnership is strategic because it allows us to exchange experiences and advance in the use of more modern methodologies to identify areas with mineral potential,” GSC said in a statement. “Brazil and Canada have much to gain from this cooperation, but the impacts go further. We are talking about a contribution that will meet the global demand for strategic minerals for the energy transition.”

Brazil holds an estimated 16 million tonnes (Mt) of nickel reserves, ranking third globally behind Indonesia, which has about 62 Mt, and Australia with 25 Mt. Despite that resource base, Brazil ranks eighth in global nickel production and accounts for about 2.1% of total output, data from SGB shows.

International interest in Brazil’s nickel potential has grown in recent years, although volatile nickel prices have created challenges for project development and financing. Several projects have struggled to advance even as dealmaking in the sector continues.