August 13th, 2025 - The Mine Wire

METALS MARKET

🇨🇳 Lithium rose nearly 10% this past week as China’s CATL suspended production at its massive Jianxiawo lithium mine that accounts for 5% of all global production. CATL has so far been unable to extend a key permit for the mine. The Chinese government has promised to cut capacity in major industries where oversupply has crushed prices. While traders and investors saw a potential opportunity, we aren’t holding our breath just yet for Lithium. (Reuters)

^{**For our chart above we are taking prices from Tuesday 4pm EST to Tuesday 4pm EST, so not the typical week of Monday through Friday.}

KEEPING AN EYE ON GOVERNMENT DECISIONS

Here are some of the notable government policy moves this week:

• 🇦🇺 The Australian Government announced that the National Reconstruction Fund made a $50m equity investment in Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) as part of a $266m institutional placement. The funding will support the ramp-up and underground transition of the Kathleen Valley Lithium Operation. The stock jumped over 20% on the news and while it has given some of those gains back, it is still up nearly 10%. Should governments make more equity investments as opposed to offering grants or even bail-outs? Or should the government stay out of the investment game? (Australia Government)

• 🇨🇦 It isn’t everyday that you have an ex-Goldman Sachs Canada CEO at the helm of a political office, but the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, can claim that title. This week he announced a federal investment of $8.2m through the Global Partnerships Initiative to Northcliff Resources (TSX: NCF), a Canadian company developing a tungsten-molybdenum deposit in New Brunswick through its Sisson Project. Northcliff’s stock shot up 53% on the investment news and is currently sitting at a market cap of $70m. Tungsten & molybdenum and some government funding - three things we like - we will keep an eye on this one. (Canada Government)

• 🇨🇦 The Ontario government issued a request for proposals to conduct a feasibility study exploring how best to establish a new economic and energy corridor. This corridor would include new Alberta-to-Ontario pipelines, bringing Western Canadian oil and gas to refineries in Southern Ontario and tidewater ports including a new deep-sea port on the coast of James Bay. Definitely worth a look for all you big name consulting firms! (Ontario Government)

• 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum met with Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, and Minister of National Revenue, François-Philippe Champagne, to discuss Canadian mining companies' operations. The environmental impact of Canadian mining companies was one of the topics discussed as the President said, "We even talked about the mining companies and all the environmental damage caused by Canadian miners in Mexico, and the need for them to meet all the requirements tied to an environmental impact statement and its resolution." The two countries have been speaking as a new USMCA is up for renewal in 2026. (bnamericas)

• 🇺🇸 🇨🇭 Last week the U.S. Customs and Border Protection ruled that 1 kilogram and 100 ounce gold cast bars from Switzerland were subject to Trump’s 39% tariffs. This caused Trump to clarify on Truth Social that, “Gold will not be Tariffed!”. 🇨🇳 In other tariff news, the United States and China have extended their tariff truce for another 90 days. 🇿🇦 South Africa said it will offer the United States a new deal as it looks to lower the 30% tariff imposed by the United States.

• 🇺🇸 🇨🇰 The U.S. Department of State has started to cuddle up to the Cook Islands with potential funding for research on seabed mineral exploration and development. Months ago we reported on the discussions between the Cook Islands and China which caused a rift with New Zealand and led to the Kiwis cutting millions in annual funding to the islands. We like this move by the United States and hope it works out for all parties involved. (Reuters) 

• 🇺🇸 The U.S. Department of the Interior was busy with a few coal related announcements this week. First, the department completed an expedited environmental review for the Skyline Mine project in central Utah, operated by Canyon Fuel Company. Second, the department approved a mining plan modification that will unlock 14.5 million tons of federally owned coal at the Antelope Mine in Converse County, Wyoming. The Antelope Mine is operated by the Navajo Transitional Energy Company. (Skyline) & (Antelope)

• 🇨🇩 The DR Congo has appointed former mining executive Louis Watum Kabamba as The Mines Minister in a cabinet shuffle. If you are working on a project in the DR Congo, get that congratulations letter ready!

MINING MATTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

• 🇺🇸 Congratulations to Casper, Wyoming’s Disa Technologies which closed an oversubscribed US$30M Series A2 financing round. DISA's patented High-Pressure Slurry Ablation technology is now being scaled for deployment across two critical applications: improving grades and recoveries of critical minerals for mining operators, and cleaning up Abandoned Uranium Mine waste by recycling uranium and vanadium while reducing environmental liability. Awesome news for a great company. (Newswire)

• 🇨🇦 Franco-Nevada Corp. (TSX: FNV) reported its impressive Q2 earnings beating analyst forecasts. Revenue surged 452% year-over-year to a record $369.4m. CEO Paul Brink indicated he was pleased with earnings and said, “Our portfolio largely produced as expected, and higher gold prices contributed to record revenue, operating cash flow, Adjusted EBITDA margins, and earnings.” The royalty & streaming giant is up 3.77% since earnings and up over 40% in 2025. If you don’t have exposure to this one in your portfolio, what are you waiting for? (Franco-Nevada)

• 🇨🇦 🇨🇱 Barrick Mining (NYSE: B, TSX: ABX) also reported its Q2 earnings and while its stock dropped in trading on Monday, it has now regained its losses. Barrick reported a US$1.04bn charge related to its Loulo-Gounkoto gold mine in Mali, due to a loss of control of the mine. It also announced that it has reached an agreement to sell the Alturas Project in Chile to a subsidiary of Boroo Pte Ltd (Singapore) for an up-front cash payment of $50m and royalty considerations. (Barrick)

• 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 Equinox Gold Corp. (TSX: EQX) announced the sale of its 100% interest in the Pan Mine, Gold Rock Project, and Illipah Project located in Nevada to Minera Alamos Inc. (TSXV: MAI) for US$115m ($90m cash & $25m in common shares). (Equinox Gold)

• 🇨🇭 🇨🇦 Glencore has quietly acquired Canada’s Li-Cycle. The recycling company that raised nearly $1bn in equity and debt financing went bankrupt earlier this year. At its peak Li-Cycle had 536 employees across four sites in North America. Glencore apparently had the winning bid around $40m. Glencore provided financial support to Li-Cycle in 2022 and was the company’s only secured lender by the time of the bankruptcy process. The two companies reached a $200m financial agreement in 2022 and a $75m financial agreement in 2024. Not that it matters, but even we held Li-Cycle’s stock at one point in the few past years. Don’t worry, we didn’t lose our shirt and liked the business model concept. Hopefully Glencore can turn this recycling asset around. (WasteDive)

• 🇺🇸 🇸🇪 In other bankruptcy news, U.S. battery startup Lyten has agreed to buy most of bankrupt Swedish battery maker Northvolt. (Reuters)

• 🇦🇺 🇨🇳 Australia's Fortescue has secured a yuan-denominated loan worth 14.2bn Chinese yuan (US$1.98bn) to ramp up its decarbonization plans, weeks after scrapping its U.S. and Australian green hydrogen projects. The miners Founder and Chairman, Andrew Forrest, was in China with Prime Minister Albanese last month and touted the nations leadership. Forrest said, "As the United States steps back from investing in what will be the world's greatest industry, China and Fortescue are advancing the green technology needed to lead the global green industrial revolution." (Reuters)

MINING BITS

• 🇨🇦 The Ontario Securities Commission used Newswire to put out a release that a former Newswire employee was convicted of insider trading. Harpreet Saini of Brampton has been sentenced to six months less a day in jail after pleading guilty on July 25, 2024 to insider trading. Mr. Saini acknowledged that between May 2018 and July 2021, he accessed material non-public information through his employer, to trade stocks. As part of his sentence, the Court ordered Mr. Saini to pay a fine in the amount of $1,149,114.93 encompassing disgorgement of all his profits and an additional $100,000. He will also be subject to various trading bans for 10 years pursuant to the Securities Act. (Newswire)

• 🇨🇦 Just this morning The Northern Miner announced The Great Canadian Treasure Hunt, a coast-to-coast search for a jaw-dropping $1 million in gold coins, minted from Agnico Eagle Mines Limited's Detour Lake Mine and an additional 12 monthly $25,000 rewards. Very very cool contest and promotion - well done. The first clue is out at the link -→ (The Great Canadian Treasure Hunt)

• 🇺🇸 Politico reported that the United States is planning to build a nuclear reactor on the moon. According to Politico, the accelerated timeline was prompted by fears that China and Russia would be able to get a reactor on the moon by the mid-2030s and effectively gatekeep lunar activity. Our view? The United States slept on rare earth production and processing and gave China a lot of leverage in global trade. It would be a lot worse to let China, Russia or even a private corporation control space. We support a collaborative effort by nations to advance space exploration and activities. (Newsweek)

• 🇨🇭 Researchers at the University of Zurich have identified a new mental disorder called 'solastalgia', linked to the environment. The term blends solace and nostalgia and refers to mental health conditions that present when a person’s local environment changes drastically - think damage caused by wild fires, flooding, deforestation, urban development and so on. One of the groups examined lived near an open-pit mine. Personally, we felt a bit of solastalgia when our local Wendy’s disappeared but maybe that doesn’t count. (Earth.com)

• 🌎 Global Corporate Venturing takes a look at “six startups that show the kind of technologies that are emerging to reduce the environmental cost of mining critical minerals, as well as the effort to wean the world off China’s grip on the supply chain.” The companies mentioned are: Niron Magnetics, Cyclic Materials, Interlune, RarEarth, REEgen and Phoenix Tailings. (GCV)

• 🇲🇲 On the topic of rare earth metals and the environmental costs, Al Jazeera takes a look at the jump in rare earth mines in rebel-controlled Myanmar which supply Chinese processing plants. These operations are being blamed for toxic levels of heavy metals in Thai waterways, including the Mekong River. A very long article with several videos, highlighting concerns from Thais and others. Another reason why mine development in jurisdictions that have environmental standards is critical - and for all of our government & agency readers, this reminds us again of the Better in our Back Yard campaign. (Al Jazeera) & (Better in our Back Yard)

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