Factory manager outlook worst since Covid lockdown

Factory managers in South Africa are the most pessimistic they’ve been about the outlook for business conditions since the strictest months of a Covid-19 lockdown three years ago, amid continuing... 

South Africa warns others not to go from electricity to darkness

One of the architects of South Africa’s groundbreaking deal with rich nations to move more quickly away from coal sounded a note of caution to other countries considering similar agreements.... 

Copper climbs to 11-week high on Panama mine risk, shortfall

Copper advanced to the highest level in 11 weeks on concerns over the looming shutdown of a large mine in Panama and amid expectations of a widening ore supply deficit in 2024. The Panama... 

First Quantum risks covenant breach, cost cuts if Panama shuts important copper mine

First Quantum Minerals could be forced to slow spending next year and face a potential breach of debt covenants if Panama follows through on plans to close a copper mine that generated roughly... 

Presidency study urges doubling of Climate Finance

South Africa needs to more than double climate financing to achieve its emissions reduction targets, according to a study by the Presidential Climate Commission. Current annual average funding of... 

Lithium slump has room to run as bearish bets mount in Guangzhou

The swift and brutal decline in lithium prices may still have room to run as bearish bets mount on the Chinese futures market that trades the battery metal. Prices on the Guangzhou Futures... 

Electric-car makers can stop worrying so much about lithium

Lithium’s price slump over the past year has been as dramatic as its climb — and it’s probably not finished yet. The battery material’s benchmark price in China is now down about 80% from its... 

Panama copper miners take to the streets in backlash to shutdown

Staff and contractors at First Quantum Minerals's Panamanian copper mine staged demonstrations across the country Wednesday, demanding the government protect their jobs or ensure they receive... 

Origin rejects Brookfield’s Plan B as $12bn deal teeters

Origin Energy rejected a backup deal proposal from Brookfield Asset Management to acquire its main energy business, with a full A$19-billion takeover expected to be rejected at a vote next week.... 

Implats to restart some Impala Rustenburg operations; death toll rises to 12

Impala Platinum (Implats) will resume production at its Rustenburg operations on Thursday, after the company suspended activity earlier in the week following an accident. The deep-level shaft in... 

Deep sea mining company sues Greenpeace amid standoff at sea

As Greenpeace activists continued to occupy a deep sea mining research ship in the Pacific Ocean, the mining company responsible for the expedition asked a Dutch court Tuesday to end the protest... 

Poland wants to speed up coal farewell under new government

Poland’s next government wants to accelerate the country’s exit from coal and boost green power sources in an overhaul of the current energy plan, said Paulina Hennig-Kloska, a lawmaker tipped to... 

Copper hits 10-week high as mine closure points to supply risk

Copper touched a 10-week high after the closure of a major mine in Panama highlighted future supply challenges for the red metal as the energy transition accelerates. Panama’s government said it... 

Panama to shut down First Quantum mine after ruling, President says

Panama’s government said it will shut a giant copper mine owned by First Quantum Minerals, damping hopes that the company might be able to reach a new deal to keep operating. Authorities will... 

Obscure coal stock with 2 900% gains is world's star IPO in 2023

The world’s best-performing IPO stock this year is a little known Indonesian coal mining company that’s backed by one of Southeast Asia’s richest men. PT Petrindo Jaya Kreasi has soared more than... 

Tanzania plans new $5.6bn rail line to iron-ore, coal-rich area

Tanzania is seeking $5.6-billion for a new railway in the south linking the Indian Ocean to Lake Nyasa and traversing regions rich in iron-ore, coal and graphite. The East African nation is looking... 

A showdown over deep-sea mining is taking place in the Pacific

Activists from Greenpeace International have boarded a ship that is conducting deep sea mining research in the Pacific Ocean, vowing to occupy the vessel until it abandons the expedition. It’s the... 

Iron-ore falls as China warns of more supervision to curb prices

Iron-ore declined after its longest streak of weekly gains since January, hit by Beijing’s latest warnings about increased market supervision as its seeks to curb price rises. The steelmaking... 

Mozambique approves $80bn energy transition strategy

Mozambique’s government approved a strategy to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels that it estimates will cost $80-billion to implement by 2050, a step aimed at winning finance to... 

Battery prices are falling again as raw material costs drop

As the auto industry grapples with how to make affordable EVs, the task may get easier by one key metric. Battery prices are resuming a long-term trend of decline, following an unprecedented... 

Panama copper miners attacked by protesters, union boss says

Protesters attacked workers leaving the Cobre Panama mine early Sunday in an incident that left about eight people injured, a union leader said. A group of protesters in a pickup truck threw... 

Salt in batteries: shift may herald another shakeup

Battery giants are starting to put their money on new sodium-based technology, a sign that there could be yet another shakeup in the industry that’s crucial for the energy transition. Sodium —... 

Bill Gates-backed mining startup wants to expand into DRC

KoBold Metals, a mining start-up backed by Bill Gates that’s developing a copper project in Zambia, is getting closer to investing in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. That’s according... 

Reserve Bank confirms discussions to tap reserves

South Africa’s central bank confirmed that it is in talks with the National Treasury to find a way to tap contingency reserves to fund the country’s growing budget deficit. “We are engaged with the... 

China shifts approach to fatal coal mining accidents to ensure supply security

The latest fatal accident linked to coal production in China, this time caused by a fire in a miner’s building in Shanxi province, has prompted another government campaign to protect lives in... 

Lithium rout deepens with battery metal now down 75% this year

Lithium extended an almost monthlong run of declines, taking its drop this year to 75%, with expectations the rout in the electric-vehicle battery metal is far from over. Chinese prices of lithium... 

BNP Paribas cracks down on mining clients with new coal policy

BNP Paribas is imposing new financing restrictions as part of an updated policy around how to treat clients in the mining industry. The European Union’s biggest bank will no longer provide... 

Giant lithium deposit in the DRC sparks boardroom battle

A battle over control of a massive untapped lithium deposit shifted gear as AVZ Minerals’ biggest shareholder signaled it will support the ouster of the Australian miner’s board. The Manono project... 

Crime costs South Africa 10% of GDP each year, World Bank says

Rampant crime in South Africa is costing the country at least 10% of its gross domestic product annually and exacerbating already stark income inequality, a World Bank study found. One in five... 

China allows a trickle of critical minerals exports ahead of graphite curbs

China exported small amounts of two minerals crucial to high-tech manufacturing in October, marking a resumption in sales after a two-month hiatus caused by Beijing’s restrictions. The controls on... 

Uranium exceeds $80/lb for first time in more than 15 years

Uranium prices topped $80 a pound for the first time in more than fifteen years on renewed demand for nuclear power and disrupted supplies. Nymex futures tracking physical-market contracts for a... 

Iron-ore soars to nine-month high on China stimulus anticipation

Iron-ore surged to its highest intraday price since February, with demand optimism growing as more details emerge about China’s latest economic stimulus drive. The steel-making staple rose as much... 

South Africa’s quest for energy security threatens climate goals

South Africa is likely to prioritise energy security over its decarbonisation aspirations to avoid further damage to its economy, said James Mackay, the chief executive officer of the Energy... 

Chile discusses IRA benefits with US to lure lithium investments

Chile’s government is in talks with the Biden administration over benefits that US companies could access from the Inflation Reduction Act if they were to invest in the mineral-rich Andean nation.... 

Panama’s Supreme Court to deliberate on copper mine contract next week

Panama’s supreme court magistrates will enter deliberations on November 24 to rule on constitutional challenges to a copper mine contract, the court’s secretary general Manuel Jose Calvo Castillo... 

South African export route to Mozambique shut as violence erupts

The road leading to South Africa’s main border with Mozambique, a key export route for coal and chrome, was closed on Friday after clashes between truck drivers and minibus taxi operators who’d... 

South Africa may need $136bn for energy transition, study shows

South Africa cannot escape the need to spend significantly on new wind and solar power plants, a BloombergNEF study shows. Under a range of scenarios considered by researchers the country may need... 

Germany will lend South Africa €500m for energy switch

Germany, through its KfW development bank, will as soon as Friday sign an agreement to lend South Africa €500-million ($543-million) to help it transition away from the use of coal-fired... 

Gas-supply cliff is South Africa’s next crisis, energy body says

South Africa’s supply of natural gas is set to plunge within the next three to four years and there’s a risk of a shortfall triggering the country’s next economic crisis, the head of an industry... 

China’s booming copper output leaves less space for Codelco

Codelco, the world’s biggest copper producer, is shipping less of the metal to China after a burst of new domestic capacity in the Asian nation, according to the Chilean company’s chairman Maximo...