India, U.S. sign critical mineral supply chain pact

The Commerce and Trade Minister of India, Piyush Goyal, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo signed their names to an agreement last week promising to cooperate on strengthening supply chains in the two countries for lithium, cobalt and other critical minerals. The Commerce Department said in a statement October 3 that the now-inked memorandum of understanding aims to build resilience…

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India to fund better extraction technology

Reuters has reported that India plans to provide nearly $50 million to fund collaborations between research institutes and companies to further aid critical minerals extraction as the country tries to cut its near-total reliance on imports of lithium and rare earth minerals. So far, the news agency noted, India’s attempts to create a critical minerals mining industry have faltered. The…

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VDMA becomes VDA Mining & Minerals

European engineering company representative VDMA has changed its name to VDMA Mining & Minerals, which it said will reflect the increasing importance of the processing of raw minerals. The new identity, which was formalized by the group’s board, will put VDMA’s focus not only on extraction, but also on sustainable processing. “The potential is enormous: more efficient separation of rocks…

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Sibanye-Stillwater hit by cyberattack

Precious metals producer Sibanye-Stillwater said that a cyberattack on its IT system has brought down its server and caused limited disruption to its global operations, reported Reuters, noting that Sibanye has hired external experts to help identify the breach and bring the system back up. “Our global IT infrastructure [has been] impacted since [July 8], some things are working some…

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ENAMI plans first lithium project

Chile’s state mining firm ENAMI said it aims to start construction on its first lithium project in the country by 2028, reported Reuters. The project is part of the government’s push to boost its role in production of the battery metal. ENAMI has launched a search for a private partner to offer financial backing or operational support for the project…

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Sigma Lithium taps Nokia, Alcon for wireless network

Global lithium producer Sigma Lithium has selected Nokia to deploy the first private LTE wireless campus network in the Americas that supports the mining of lithium. Nokia will work with partner Alcon to roll out the network, which will connect more than 200 Sigma employees and mine equipment. “At Sigma, we are dedicated to powering the next generation of EVs…

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Wealth Minerals, BASF join forces on Chilean lithium projects

Wealth Minerals said it has agreed to begin a collaboration with chemical giant BASF to begin a collaboration for the development of extraction, processing and refining operations for lithium and other substances in the Atacama and Ollagüe Salt Flats in northern Chile.  “We are very pleased to partner with BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, in order to develop an…

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Metso upgrades Finland research facility

Metso said it has modernized its pilot facility at the Metso Research Center in Pori, Finland, with expanded capabilities for lithium hydroxide (LiOH) and other battery chemicals process testing. The unique pilot line serves mining and battery industry customers processing battery minerals. In connection with the expansion, Metso has also opened a battery materials precursor (pCAM) pilot plant, available now…

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