Battery Metals

General Motors (GM) announced a new deal with Australian-based supplier Element 25 on Monday to expand manganese sulfate production in the US, a key EV battery component. Under the supply agreement, Element 25 will provide GM with up to 32,500 metric tons of manganese sulfate annually to help the automaker hit its goal of producing over one […]

The multi-coloured layers of banded iron formations could connect ancient changes on earth’s surface—like the emergence of photosynthetic life—to planetary processes like volcanism and plate tectonics, according to new research. In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, Rice University researchers say that in addition to linking planetary processes that were generally thought to […]

Palladium could extend this year’s near 30% price decline as the rapid rise of electric vehicles threatens to hammer demand for the autocatalyst metal at a time broader economic weakness and chart factors are also weighing. Spot palladium hit a four-year low of $1,269.09 an ounce on Thursday, having fallen more than 60% from a […]

Appian Capital Advisory bought the Santa Rita nickel mine out of bankruptcy for $68 million and the Serrote copper-gold project for $40 million in 2018. The previous owners of the Santa Rita had already spent $1 billion building the mine and Appian splashed another $400m on both properties bringing them into production. Last week, the […]

Australia’s first commercial vanadium-flow battery has been completed in South Australia’s mid north and is expected to be running and exporting power by August. Yadlamalka Energy has been undertaking the Spencer Energy Project at Bungama, outside of Port Pirie, where the 2-megawatt/8MW-hour battery is connected to a grid of solar panels. The battery will store […]

Matthew Chamberlain had just presided over one of the wildest days in the history of metals markets when he sat down to type a late-night memo to the UK’s financial regulator. But the London Metal Exchange’s chief executive was optimistic. It was the evening of March 7 last year and nickel prices had surged as […]

Chinese investment in Australia’s minerals sector must be considered “strategically” as the countries compete directly in lithium refining, said Resources Minister Madeleine King. She made the comments in an interview following the release of Australia’s long-awaited Critical Minerals Strategy, which includes a target to lure A$500 million ($340 million) of funds for projects that are […]

The copper price fell on Monday as a lack of detail on economic stimulus in China and a firmer dollar reinforced expectations of weak demand. Copper for delivery in July was down 0.55% on the Comex market in New York, touching $3.86 per pound ($8,492 per tonne). “Copper is reacting to the lack of anything […]

For a company with “gold” in its name, Barrick Gold Corp. has become noticeably fixated on copper. The world’s second-largest bullion producer recently approached First Quantum Minerals Ltd. to discuss a potential takeover, Bloomberg reported last week. And while the move was unsuccessful — Barrick’s informal overtures were rebuffed — its interest in buying a […]

Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan is one of the world’s largest carmakers. The company has faced criticism for being slow to develop electric vehicles (EVs). This week, Toyota announced that it had reached a “technological breakthrough” in the development of solid-state batteries. The company said it has overcome an issue with the durability of solid-state batteries. It said it […]