Australia-based Mineral Resources (MRL, MinRes) announced a decision by the MARBL Lithium Joint Venture (MARBL), an unincorporated joint venture owned 40/60 by MRL and Albemarle Corporation, to restart operations at the Wodgina Lithium Mine (Wodgina), in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. MARBL expects Wodgina, which was placed on care... Read more →

Compass Minerals, a leading global provider of essential minerals, announced the successful, third-party conversion testing of its lithium brine resource into both lithium carbonate and battery-grade lithium hydroxide, representing a significant milestone in its previously announced lithium development project. The company engaged Veolia Energy, an established technology provider, to conduct... Read more →

Keliber is a Finnish mining and battery chemical company that aims to start the sustainable production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide, utilizing its own ore, in 2024. (Earlier post.) The Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) has now granted a mining safety permit for Keliber’s second largest deposit, Syväjärvi. The permit,... Read more →

SciAps, already a global leader in handheld analyzers for fossil fuel-based energy industries, now offers its technology to the emerging electric vehicle, strategic metals, and overall green economy industries with a targeted line of next-generation handheld XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy) and LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) analyzers, in response to... Read more →

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory are hosting a 15-minute open-access webinar on 28 October about how to block threats to supplies of rare earth minerals using supercomputers. A wide range of devices and machines rely on rare earth elements that are mined and refined largely in China. But supplies are... Read more →

Renault Group and Finland-based metals producer Terrafame have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the future supply of nickel sulfate. With this agreement, Renault Group will secure a significant annual supply of nickel sulfate from Terrafame, representing up to 15 GWh of annual capacity. The cooperation will start by... Read more →

Australia-based emerging lithium producer Sayona Mining is acquiring the Moblan Lithium Project in the Eeyou‐Istchee James Bay region of Northern Québec (Moblan Project). Under an agreement with Lithium Royalty Corp. (LRC), Sayona will acquire LRC’s right to purchase the 60% interest in the Moblan project (Moblan Interest) held by Guo... Read more →

To promote environmentally-friendly, resource-efficient extraction of lithium, the BMW Group is investing, through its venture capital fund BMW i Ventures, in US startup Lilac Solutions. Lilac Solutions has developed and patented an ion-exchange technology that can significantly improve efficiency, costs and sustainability of extracting lithium from brine resources (earlier post).... Read more →

The members of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) have collectively committed to a goal of net zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 or sooner in line with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. The ICMM is an international organization dedicated to a... Read more →

The US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has finalized an Assistance Agreement providing approximately US$21.9 million to a project led by General Atomics for the engineering, construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing demonstration plant to be located in Wyoming. (Earlier post.)... Read more →

LG Energy Solution (LGES) has signed a six-year binding term sheet with Canadaa-based Sigma Lithium Corporation for an offtake agreement on a “take or pay” basis for the sale of 6% battery-grade high purity and environmentally sustainable lithium concentrate. The six-year agreement scales from 60,000 tons per year in 2023... Read more →

China-based battery-maker CATL will acquire Canada-based Millenial Lithium in an all-cash deal of approximately C$377 million (US$298 million) (C$3.85 per common share), after topping an earlier offer by Ganfeng Lithium of C$3.60/share. After receiving the CATL offer, Millennial notified Ganfeng that this proposal constituted a “Superior Proposal” in accordance with... Read more →

The world has entered the “lithium century” almost without noticing it, but until now this critical industry lacked a central voice. Of the many applications for lithium batteries, electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage solutions (ESS) stand out as by far the largest and fastest growing sectors, driven by the... Read more →

Vulcan Energy Resources signed an agreement with chemical park management company Infraserv to secure a site for its planned Central Lithium Plant (CLP) of its Zero Carbon Lithium Project, at the Höchst Chemical Park (Industriepark Höchst), located just outside of Frankfurt. Höchst is one of Europe’s largest chemical sites and... Read more →

Betolar, a Finnish material technology company that offers sustainable and low-carbon concrete production, and concrete company JA-KO Betoni, are assisting Keliber (earlier post), which is preparing a lithium mine in Kaustinen, Finland, in utilizing the massive side streams typically produced in the mining industry. Tailings produced as a side stream... Read more →

Rio Tinto has approved a new solar farm and battery storage at Weipa in Queensland, in a move that will more than triple the local electricity network’s solar generation capacity and help provide cleaner power to Rio Tinto’s operations. The Weipa operations in Far North Queensland includes three bauxite mines,... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply a 9.2 MW / 8.7 MWh energy storage system to Zenith Energy, an Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Australia. Zenith sells the electrical power it produces to some of the world’s largest mining companies with operations in Australia. The installed energy storage system will... Read more →

South Africa-based Sibanye-Stillwater will establish a joint venture company with Australia-based ioneer with respect to ioneer’s Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project. Sibanye-Stillwater will contribute US$490 million for a 50% interest in the joint venture, with ioneer maintaining a 50% interest and retaining the operational management responsibility for the joint venture. The... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Caterpillar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Caterpillar’s development of zero-emissions autonomous haul trucks for use at one of Rio Tinto’s Western Australian mining operations. The collaboration will see Rio Tinto work with Caterpillar to advance the development of the manufacturer’s future 220-tonne 793 zero-emissions... Read more →

Rolls-Royce and Flanders Electric have agreed to develop a retrofit concept for hybridizing mining trucks that can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 30%. It integrates mtu engines, batteries and hybrid control systems, and Flanders drive train solutions. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding enabling them to... Read more →

Roy Hill, the largest single iron ore mine in Australia, has purchased Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive, the world’s first 100% battery-electric, heavy-haul locomotive (earlier post) for the region and the mining industry. We are committed to transforming the next generation of transportation by adopting advanced technologies that improve energy efficiency,... Read more →

A new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program— Environmental Microbes as a BioEngineering Resource (EMBER) (HR001121S0035)—seeks to develop novel, bio-based technologies to overcome key challenges facing domestic supply of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) critical to the US and Department of Defense (DoD). Although the US has domestic REE resources,... Read more →

ABB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Stäubli Electrical Connectors to collaborate in bringing solutions to market to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with heavy machinery in mining. Stäubli, a leading manufacturer of connector solutions, and global technology company ABB, will explore the development of electrification... Read more →

Australia-based Arafura Resources Limited has awarded Hatch a contract to carry out Engineering and Procurement Services for the Nolans NdPR project hydrometallurgical plant. The Nolans project in Australia will encompass a mine, process plant (comprising beneficiation, extraction and separation plants) and related infrastructure to be constructed and located at the... Read more →

Nornickel, the world’s largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel and a major producer of platinum and copper; Rosatom State Corporation; and the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center (FESRC, part of Rosneft Oil Company) have signed an agreement of intent to design and build a dual-fuel diesel-LNG icebreaker... Read more →

Thee is a growing disconnect between battery demand and raw material supply that could derail Europe’s and North America’s electrification plans, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Outside of China, Europe and North America are the key regions developing significant lithium-ion cell production capacity. Europe now has 778 GWh of capacity... Read more →

SunMirror AG, an exploration company specializing in mineral resources such as gold, lithium, cobalt and other metals and minerals powering future industries, through its wholly owned subsidiary SunMirror Luxembourg S.A., has entered into a conditional binding agreement with Latitude 66 Cobalt Limited to acquire 100% of the shares of Finnish... Read more →

Australia-based Walkabout Resources, an Africa-focused energy minerals developer, announced that its Tanzania Lindi Jumbo flake graphite project had progressed into the construction phase, with the CRDB-approved Independent Project Manager completing site visits and bulk earthmoving contractor TNR commencing mobilization. Walkabout Resources signed a US$20-million loan agreement with Tanzania’s CRDB bank... Read more →

Australia-based Renascor Resources has executed a Strategic Cooperation and Offtake MOU with POSCO covering the purchase of 20,000 to 30,000 tpa of Purified Spherical Graphite (PSG) from Renascor’s planned Battery Anode Material operation in South Australia. The final annual amount to be delivered under the offtake and the term of... Read more →

Tritium, a global developer and manufacturer of DC fast chargers for EVs, and Miller Technology, a supplier of mobile mining equipment for safety and productivity, are partnering to provide fast chargers and light-duty battery EVs for the mining industry. The companies’ inaugural project at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) mine... Read more →

In Australia, BHP Nickel West has increased its offtake from 20 MW to 50 MW from the Risen Energy solar farm Merredin Solar Farm in a new 10-year renewable power purchase agreement (PPA). The additional 30 MW will be directed to BHP Nickel West’s Kalgoorlie Smelter and reduce the smelter’s... Read more →

Anglo-Australian BHP Group is merging its oil and gas business with Woodside Petroleum Ltd. The all-stock merger will create a global top 10 independent energy company by production, and will also allow BHP to focus more intently on “future-facing commodities” that are most positively leveraged towards population growth, rising living... Read more →

LG Energy Solution has secured 100% rights to battery-grade nickel and cobalt materials from Australian Mines Limited amid growing concerns about future supplies of raw materials. LG Energy Solution has entered into a binding long-form offtake agreement with Australian Mines Ltd. for nickel and cobalt, which will be supplied in... Read more →

Re|Source, a solution to trace responsibly produced cobalt from the mine to the electric vehicle (earlier post), acknowledged the progress made by Tesla in implementing the pilot project across its supply chain. Tesla has been a key partner in designing and implementing the solution, which was officially announced on 20... Read more →

China Molybdenum (CMOC) will invest US$2.51 billion to expand production capacity of its Tenke Fungurume mine (TFM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In July, the company started trial production from a 10k expansion at another site in the mine. (Earlier post.) The expansion project, which is expected to... Read more →

Bluejay Mining, an exploration and development company with projects in Greenland and Finland, announced a joint venture agreement with KoBold Metals, a mineral exploration company that uses machine learning to guide exploration for new deposits rich in the critical materials for electric vehicles. This agreement brings a globally significant partner... Read more →

China Molybdenum (CMOC), a leading cobalt and copper producer, recently started trial production from its 10k expansion project at the Tenke Fungurume Mine (TFM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). TFM mainly produces copper cathode and cobalt hydroxide. In 2020, TFM produced 182,597 tonnes of copper and 15,436 tonnes... Read more →

Komatsu and its mining customers Rio Tinto, BHP, Codelco and Boliden have formed the Komatsu Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Alliance. Through the alliance framework, Komatsu’s GHG partners will work directly with Komatsu to collaborate on product planning, development, testing and deployment of the next generation of zero-emission mining equipment and infrastructure.... Read more →

Renault Group and Vulcan Energy Resources, a lithium developer targeting carbon-neutral lithium production (earlier post), have signed a lithium offtake term sheet. This agreement is for an initial five-year term which can be extended if mutually agreed, with a start of commercial delivery set for 2026. Vulcan announced a similar... Read more →

The Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and majority state-owned energy group ČEZ signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the construction of a gigafactory for battery cells for electric vehicles. The document sets forth the basic conditions for the establishment of the factory and is a prerequisite for agreements... Read more →

A region of the central Pacific—the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ)—is estimated to contain vast reserves of polymetallic nodules that are rich in nickel and cobalt—minerals that are commonly mined on land for the production of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, laptops, and mobile phones. Deep-sea-mining schemes propose sending down... Read more →

Rio Tinto has committed $2.4 billion to the Jadar lithium-borates project in Serbia, one of the world’s largest greenfield lithium projects. (Earlier post.) The project remains subject to receiving all relevant approvals, permits and licences and ongoing engagement with local communities, the Government of Serbia and civil society. Jadar Project... Read more →

BHP will supply Tesla Inc. with nickel from BHP’s Nickel West asset in Western Australia; BHP says that Nickel West is one of the most sustainable and lowest carbon emission nickel producers in the world. Nickel is a key metal used in Tesla’s battery technology. Demand for nickel in batteries... Read more →

Rio Tinto has approved a $108-million investment in underground development to enable early orebody access and undertake orebody characterisation studies for underground mining at the Kennecott copper operations in the United States. The investment builds on $25 million approved in early-2020 to complete a pre-feasibility study to determine the viability... Read more →

A new study from WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and WWF finds that nearly 20% of tropical Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) overlap with concessions for extractive industries such as mining, oil and gas. The total area of overlap is 376,449 square miles (975,000 square kilometers), about the size of Egypt. The... Read more →

Japan-based Chiyoda Corporation has been awarded a $2.7-billion engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract by PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI)—a mineral mining company affiliate of US-based Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and MIND ID Indonesia’s Mining Industry—for a copper smelter in Gresik, East Java, Indonesia. The new plant will include smelting and converting furnaces,... Read more →

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have conducted life cycle analyses (LCAs) for battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) and lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LiOH•H2O) produced from Chilean brines (Salar de Atacama) and Australian spodumene ores. An open-access paper on the study is published in the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling. The team also... Read more →

Clean energy may mean less mining for coal, but it also means opening or expanding mines to unearth minerals such as cobalt for use in alloys and batteries, tellurium for solar cells and semiconductors, and germanium for transistors in electronic devices. That’s according to Dr. Michael Moats, professor and interim... Read more →

Several companies have initiated a “Responsible Lithium Partnership” aiming to work towards responsible natural resource management, including lithium, in Chile’s Salar de Atacama. This cross-industry partnership is funded at its inception by BASF, Daimler AG, Fairphone, and Volkswagen Group. The partnership intends to foster a dialogue among local stakeholders, generating—and... Read more →

General Motors has agreed to form a strategic investment and commercial collaboration with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) to secure sustainably produced lithium from the CTR’s Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power development, located in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in California. This lithium will be produced from geothermal brine through a... Read more →