The Mining Insider

Today on The Mining Insider: The Asian Development Bank launched its Critical Minerals-to-Manufacturing Financing Partnership Facility at its 59th annual meeting in Samarkand on May 3. Korea Eximbank and the Korean Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE) each signed $500 million memoranda as founding partners, alongside $20 million from Japan and $1.6 million from the UK as seed grants. ADB President...

Today on The Mining Insider: Work on the IPO of Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company — Uzbekistan's state-owned gold miner and the world's fourth-largest gold producer — has been paused, with the Uzbek government weighing the right moment to list. The company produced 3.2 million ounces of gold in 2025, with revenue of $10.8 billion and pre-tax profit of $6.1 billion. Separately, a structural mi...

Today on The Mining Insider: Mercuria Energy Group and Heeney Capital announced May 1 that they had secured White House-backed offtake agreements for Venezuelan bulk commodities and gold, projected to generate $2.2 billion in annual mineral export value — with aluminum, nickel, and ferrous metals negotiations ongoing that could add another $3 billion. NOAA certified on May 1 that TMC the Metals Co...

Today on The Mining Insider: China's ban on sulphuric acid exports takes effect today, May 1 — a structural disruption that threatens roughly a fifth of Chile's copper output and has pushed Copperbelt acid prices near all-time highs of $700 to $800 per tonne in the DRC. First Quantum Minerals reported Q1 2026 results on April 28, posting a net loss of $196 million as Sentinel and Kansanshi both ca...

Today on The Mining Insider: First Quantum Minerals released its first quarter 2026 financial and operating results on April 28, with Sentinel's ball mill constraints remaining a drag and Kansanshi's S3 expansion continuing its ramp. Separately, Fortescue is moving toward a long-term iron ore supply deal with China Mineral Resources Group following BHP's recent settlement. In the Democratic Republ...

China's CMOC Group signed a $1.7 billion mining contract with Ecuador on April 27 for the Los Cangrejos gold-silver project in El Oro province, developed through local subsidiary ODIN Mining del Ecuador. Structure: state receives 50% of project value; $54M advance royalties ($34M on signing, balance at construction milestones). Projected state revenues: $4.39B. Ecuador's only two large-scale opera...

Brazil's Rede Sustentabilidade party petitioned the country's Supreme Court on April 25 to suspend the $2.8 billion acquisition of Serra Verde Group by USA Rare Earth Inc. (NASDAQ: USAR). The party argued Brazilian legislation lacks constitutional safeguards over strategic mineral assets. Serra Verde's Pela Ema operation in Goiás produces ~100 metric tons of rare earth oxides/year, targeting 6,400...

The 830-kilometer Lobito Corridor railway — the biggest new build in Zambia since the 1970s — secured $1.32 billion in committed financing at a Nairobi conference on April 24. Africa Finance Corp. ($500M), African Development Bank ($500M), and Italy ($320M) committed the funds. Total project cost is up to $5 billion. EPC bids are due in May, contractor selection targeted by July-August, groundbrea...

The United States and European Union formalized the US-EU Action Plan for Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resilience on April 24, announced by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. The plan establishes border-adjusted price floors as the primary trade mechanism to prevent Chinese producers from undercutting allied producers in rare earths, battery material...

Freeport-McMoRan reported Q1 2026 earnings Thursday, beating profit estimates but shocking the market with a significant downgrade to the Grasberg mine ramp-up timeline. After last September's fatal mud-rush, the company now expects the world's second-largest copper mine to reach only 65% of capacity in the second half of 2026 — down from the 85% target outlined in January. Full recovery is pushed...

Newmont's Record Quarter, Ghana's New Gold Royalty, and Copper Holds Above $6 Newmont Q1 2026: record net income $3.3B, FCF $3.1B, avg realized gold $4,900/oz, AISC $1,029/oz, production 1.30M oz (down 16% YoY due to Australian bushfires/rainfall + planned maintenance), $6B buyback authorized, full-year guidance maintained at 5.26M oz. CEO Natascha Viljoen: "all-time record $3.1 billion in quarter...

USA Rare Earth acquires Serra Verde (Brazil) for $2.8B — only non-Asia producer of all 4 magnetic REEs; DFC-backed; 15-year US government offtake. BHP nine-month review: records at Escondida + WAIO, copper guidance lifted, Brandon Craig to replace Mike Henry as CEO, Queensland coal review. Peru election: Fujimori in runoff, 14,000-ballot gap for second slot.

Argentine court 30-day injunction halts Vicuña copper project (Filo Corp/BHP). Project Vault $12B critical minerals facility nears first tranche close. Silver at $79.52/oz; Sunshine Silver weighing $400M IPO for Idaho's Silver Valley mine.

Uranium Royalty Corp acquires Sweetwater Royalties — $1.1B deal. Chinalco Toromocho $1.7B overhaul approved by Peru — 45% throughput increase. DRC acid shortage — copper and cobalt miners cutting chemical use as Iran war disrupts leaching reagent supply.

Copper at $6.11/lb near all-time high; CATL approves $4.4B mining subsidiary for lithium/nickel/cobalt; Gold Fields hands Damang gold mine to Ghana; Mangrove Lithium opens North America's first electrochemical lithium refinery in Delta, BC.

The London Metal Exchange's six-metal index closed at an all-time high on April 17th, driven by a deepening aluminum supply crisis from Gulf smelter damage and Strait of Hormuz disruption. Chile's Codelco has set an internal 2027 copper target of 1.5 million tonnes to reclaim the world's top producer title from BHP. And Codelco and Anglo American revealed a legally unprecedented dual-track environ...

The US Senate voted 50–49 to repeal the Biden-era withdrawal of 225,000 acres of Minnesota's Superior National Forest from mining, clearing a federal path for Twin Metals' copper-nickel project in the Duluth Complex. Chile's government under President Kast is targeting 6 million metric tonnes of annual copper output in 4–5 years, well ahead of prior projections, with US investors showing strong in...

Host Logan Ore dissects April 28th’s critical developments: Duparquet’s Drill Surge: First Mining’s second rig accelerates exploration in Quebec’s Abitibi gold belt. Nyanzaga’s $523M Bet: Perseus Mining bets big on Tanzanian gold, targeting 2027 production. Copper’s Price Rollercoaster: Tariff tensions and inventory drops keep traders guessing. Greenland’s Rare Earth Boom: Eclipse Metals’ 2.01% TR...

Host Logan Ore dissects April 4th’s pivotal developments: Russia’s Rare Earth Delay: Zashikhinskoye’s decade-long postponement tightens global supply and amplifies Western vulnerabilities. Brazil’s Indigenous Stewardship: How Ywy Ipuranguete’s 6M-hectare initiative reshapes mining access and biodiversity protection. U.S. Critical Mineral Act: Bipartisan bill aligns federal lists to streamline dome...

Host Logan Ore analyzes April 2nd’s top mining developments: LME’s Record Trading: How surging nickel and copper volumes reflect global demand for industrial metals. Zinnwald Lithium’s German Backing: The strategic importance of Saxony’s support for Europe’s critical minerals independence. Collective Mining’s Aggressive Drilling: Inside the expanded program targeting Colombia’s Guayabales and San...

Host Logan Ore covers March 31st's biggest mining developments: Contango ORE's Record Cash Distribution: Peak Gold JV exceeds expectations with strong Q1 performance and $24M cash flow boost. Luca Mining's Commercial Production: Tahuehueto mine hits key milestone with sustained throughput above 800 tpd and ambitious 2025 guidance. Revival Gold's Mercur PEA Results: Promising economics highlight he...

Host Logan Ore dissects March 29th’s seismic shifts: Australia’s Lithium Embargo: How a ban on exports to China disrupts global EV supply chains and accelerates the tech cold war. AI’s $200B Copper-Gold Find: The discovery beneath Chile’s glacier—geopolitical goldmine or environmental time bomb? Nigeria’s Gold-Backed Currency: Can bullion stabilize a collapsing economy, or will corruption tarnish...

Host Logan Ore explores March 28th's top stories shaping the mining world: Nalunaq Gold Expansion: Greenland's high-grade mine increases resources by 51%, extending its life beyond ten years. Deep-Sea Mining Controversy: The Metals Company pushes forward despite regulatory uncertainty—environmentalists raise alarms over ocean health risks. Manitoba Gold Mine Construction: Canada strengthens its pr...

Host Logan Ore analyses March 20th's transformative industry developments: EU's Critical Raw Materials Act in Action: How Europe's aggressive 30% domestic mining mandate and mandatory stockpiles are reshaping the continent's relationship with extractive industries. Greenland's 'Arctic Crown' Copper Discovery: Inside the AI-powered exploration breakthrough that found the world's largest undeveloped...

Host Logan Ore analyzes March 19th's industry-shifting developments: World Bank's Mining 2.0 Revolution: How strict new ESG criteria will redirect $180B in mining finance and potentially strand projects that can't meet sustainability benchmarks. Germany's €3.8B Rare Earth Gambit: Inside Europe's bold bid for mineral processing independence from China and what it means for green tech supply chains....