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Critical Minerals

All articles tagged with #critical minerals

EU and Canada Draft Sweeping Pact to Hedge Against US Trade Pressure
international-relations9 days ago

EU and Canada Draft Sweeping Pact to Hedge Against US Trade Pressure

The EU and Canada are preparing to announce a comprehensive new partnership at a summit in Montreal on October 29. A draft joint statement obtained by Politico outlines deepening ties in critical minerals, energy, defense, and technology, including a joint purchase of 50 water bombers for wildfire response by 2030. The move follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to make Canada the EU’s first 'associate member,' a status that remains legally undefined but aims to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States amid ongoing trade tensions.

via politico.eu|
#critical-minerals#eu-canada-partnership#international-relations
Xi’s State Visit Ends with Symbolic Wins but Core Tech and Security Gaps Remain
geopolitics10 days ago

Xi’s State Visit Ends with Symbolic Wins but Core Tech and Security Gaps Remain

Xi Jinping’s September 2026 state visit to Washington concluded with a symbolic thaw in US-China relations but yielded limited substantive progress. While the two leaders agreed to lower tariffs on $30 billion in goods and established an AI dialogue, critical issues regarding rare earth supply chains, semiconductor restrictions, and Taiwan arms sales remain unresolved. Analysts argue Beijing gained strategic time to advance its technology goals, while Washington secured only incremental progress on fentanyl controls.

via Fox News|
#critical-minerals#fentanyl#geopolitics
Extinct Red Sea Brine Pool Reveals Oxygen-Free Energy Pathway for Early Life
science14 days ago

Extinct Red Sea Brine Pool Reveals Oxygen-Free Energy Pathway for Early Life

Researchers identified an extinct deep-sea brine pool in the Red Sea that hosted extremophile microbes 2,000 to 16,000 years ago. These organisms likely generated energy by oxidizing manganese and iron without oxygen, offering a potential model for life before Earth's Great Oxidation Event. Sediments from the site contain metal concentrations up to 100 times higher than surrounding areas, suggesting these microbes may also accumulate critical minerals for clean energy technologies.

via Gizmodo|
#critical-minerals#deep-sea-biology#evolution
Carney urges EU member states to ratify Canada trade deal and deepen ties
world24 days ago

Carney urges EU member states to ratify Canada trade deal and deepen ties

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pressed the 10 EU countries still not ratified—Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Slovenia—to approve the Canada-EU trade deal, arguing ratification would bolster Europe–Canada ties and resilience even as U.S. tariffs weigh on the relationship; the pact is provisionally in force, and Ottawa is also pursuing broader cooperation on minerals, education, digital infrastructure and Arctic security ahead of European meetings.

via politico.eu|
#canada-eu-trade-deal#carney#critical-minerals
Pentagon backs major US tungsten restart via Blue Moon deal
defense24 days ago

Pentagon backs major US tungsten restart via Blue Moon deal

The US Department of Defense’s Economic Defense Unit will invest up to $450 million in The Elmet Group through Blue Moon Metals to restart the Springer tungsten mine in Nevada and its ammonium paratungstate facility, including a $50 million prepayment, a $25 million equity investment, and a $75 million joint venture, with up to $25 million more if needed, as part of broader efforts to secure a domestic tungsten supply chain and reduce dependence on China. The funding also backs ELMT’s US manufacturing facilities in Maine, Michigan, and Ohio, launches Elmet Refining and Trading to coordinate sourcing and processing, and connects to a separate up-to-$2 billion DLA contract for tungsten materials. Springer is slated to restart by late-2027 and the APT facility by mid-2028, with partnerships extending to Australia and Spain to diversify supply.

via Mining.com|
#blue-moon-metals#critical-minerals#defense
EU seeks closer Canada ties on minerals, trade and Arctic security
world25 days ago

EU seeks closer Canada ties on minerals, trade and Arctic security

EU officials are building a broad package to pull Canada closer into Europe’s economic and security orbit, spanning critical minerals, Erasmus+ education, digital trade, skilled workers, and Arctic security, in a bid to deepen ties ahead of an October summit. Ottawa seeks options short of full EU membership, including closer market access, easier mobility of workers, and joint defense and Arctic initiatives, while aiming to push ratification of CETA and leverage EU programs like SAFE for defense and green investments.

via politico.eu|
#arctic#ceta#critical-minerals
Ontario signals electricity and mineral cuts in U.S. tariff spat
world1 month ago

Ontario signals electricity and mineral cuts in U.S. tariff spat

Ontario premier Doug Ford warned that Canada should be ready to use leverage against the United States in the tariff dispute, including potentially cutting electricity exports and restricting Ontario’s supply of critical minerals, while also flagging oil and potash as options; the comments come as U.S. tariffs magnify a cross-border confrontation deeply tied to the auto sector and strategic minerals like nickel and uranium.

via AP News|
#canada-us-relations#critical-minerals#electricity
US DOE backs Calif. lithium venture with $100M for Great Salt Lake plant
business1 month ago

US DOE backs Calif. lithium venture with $100M for Great Salt Lake plant

The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Waterleaf P1 HoldCo (a Lilac Solutions subsidiary) a $100 million grant to develop a commercial lithium extraction and refining facility on the Great Salt Lake’s northeastern shore, aiming to double U.S. lithium production and strengthen domestic supply chains; Utah is positioning itself as a leader in critical minerals, with federal coordination on water use and brine return amid environmental concerns as the project moves forward.

via KSL News|
#business#critical-minerals#department-of-energy
politics1 month ago

Democrats launch oversight push after Trump-era mineral financing spree

Democrats plan aggressive scrutiny of the Trump administration’s multi‑billion‑dollar push into domestic critical minerals, citing possible conflicts of interest with the Trump family and Cantor Fitzgerald as they demand records and consider subpoenas. With hundreds of deals and billions in federal backing aimed at reshoring supply chains, lawmakers are probing firms like Vulcan Elements, USA Rare Earth, and Kaz Resources, while the White House defends the program as vital to national security and industry cautions about chilling investment.

via Politico|
#cantor-fitzgerald#critical-minerals#mining
US funds Sunrise Energy Metals to build world's first scandium mine in Australia
business2 months ago

US funds Sunrise Energy Metals to build world's first scandium mine in Australia

Sunrise Energy Metals jumped as much as 29% after the U.S. provided $400 million in long‑term debt financing to back the development of the world’s first primary scandium mine at Sunrise’s Syerston project in New South Wales. The funding, via the U.S. Office of Strategic Capital with a conditional loan commitment from the DoD, fits a broader push to diversify away from China’s dominance in rare earths and establish a scandium value chain for defense and tech uses; the shares later closed over 16% higher, underscoring the strategic importance of critical minerals.”

via CNBC|
#australia-mining#business#critical-minerals
world3 months ago

Uzbekistan’s World Cup moment nudges Washington toward a minerals pivot

Uzbekistan’s first World Cup appearance has drawn U.S. policymakers’ attention to the Central Five region’s role in critical minerals, with a Houston policy panel and a White House meeting that secured a $400 million investment and highlighted national-security aims to diversify away from China; the coverage also threads in how soccer influences U.S. politics (e.g., Josh Shapiro in Philadelphia) and touches on related World Cup logistics and enforcement stories in New York-New Jersey and beyond.

via Politico|
#central-asia#critical-minerals#diplomacy
Army Bases Turn Into Domestic Mineral Hubs
politics3 months ago

Army Bases Turn Into Domestic Mineral Hubs

The US Army will allow several companies—REalloys Inc., Titan Mining Corp., ioneer Ltd., and Energy Exploration Technologies Inc.—to build critical minerals processing plants at U.S. military bases, including locations like Toole Army Depot (UT), Pine Bluff Arsenal (AR), and Anniston Army Depot (AL). The initiative aims to boost domestic production of rare earths, graphite, lithium, and boron and reduce reliance on imports (notably from China), strengthening the defense-industrial base.

via Bloomberg|
#critical-minerals#domestic-production#military
Energy Fuels Secures Conditional Financing to Expand U.S. Rare Earths and Critical Materials Capacity
business3 months ago

Energy Fuels Secures Conditional Financing to Expand U.S. Rare Earths and Critical Materials Capacity

Energy Fuels announced a conditional commitment for up to $725 million of senior-secured debt from the U.S. Office of Strategic Capital to fund the expansion of its U.S. rare earths and critical materials processing at the White Mesa Mill in Utah and to develop a U.S.-based rare earth metals and alloys facility; the 20-year tenor financing is contingent on due diligence, definitive documentation, closing conditions, and approvals, and could also support a planned Australian Strategic Materials acquisition. Proceeds would advance project development, processing capacity, supply-chain integration, and working capital to strengthen the domestic critical materials supply chain.

via Energy Fuels|
#business#critical-minerals#financing