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  1. 2h ago

    South Africa's Tshipi puts 828 000 t of manganese through Namibia's Port of Lüderitz

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. The plan-beating sale of manganese ore by Jupiter Mines in its financial year 2026 (FY26) included 828 000 t going through the Port of Lüderitz in Namibia, the ASX-listed company stated in its annual report on Wednesday, September 30. Jupiter owns 49.9% of Tshipi é Ntle Manganese, which operates the Tshipi manganese mine in South Africa's large, low-cost Kalahari manganese field. South Africa's JSE-listed Exxaro Resources owns 50.1% of Tshipi, which sold 3.5-million tonnes during this reporting period, exceeding full-year targets and its historical average of 3.4-million tonnes a year. Use was made of multiple export ports and the ability to shift volumes between rail and road in response to logistics conditions and market demand. This flexibility strengthened logistics resilience and helped maintain consistent sales despite some variability across the broader South African rail network. Overall, rail availability during the year exceeded planning assumptions, supported by Tshipi's continued engagement with State-owned rail enterprise Transnet. Total rail volumes were 2.6-million tonnes amid Tshipi working with Transnet on KuGompo City (East London) rail capacity and tariff settings, while maintaining discussions with transport providers to secure commercially feasible arrangements and access additional rail capacity as it became available. Road haulage costs increased during the period as Tshipi used additional road capacity to support offshore exports and respond to rail disruptions, including derailments and planned Transnet shutdowns. As with other producers in the Kalahari manganese field, logistics represents the largest component of Tshipi's cost base, reflecting the 1 000 km distance between the mine and export ports. Tshipi, which transports ore by both rail and road, seeks to maximise the use of lower-cost rail capacity where available. Tshipi received higher-than-anticipated rail volumes during FY26, reflecting improvements in rail capacity and reliability. These included fewer derailments and cable theft incidents, the introduction of larger wagons and upgrades to rail infrastructure to accommodate them. Lower-than-expected rail utilisation by emerging miners also increased available network capacity. Continued engagement with Transnet contributed to these improvements, supporting greater logistics efficiency during the year. A key strategic development was Tshipi's participation in the long-term Manganese Export Capacity Allocation (MECA3) public-private logistics framework between Transnet and manganese producers. MRCA3 provides participating producers with greater rail and port allocation certainty over a ten-year period, replacing the previous annual allocation process with a longer-term, demand-led model. For Tshipi, this supports long-term logistics security and improved coordination across rail, road, and port channels. The agreement is part of a broader industry initiative to improve logistics certainty for South African manganese exporters. Within this framework, focus remains on optimising available capacity, maintaining logistics flexibility, and supporting cost-competitive export performance over the long term. Tshipi's flexible multi-port network and lower-cost export channels strengthen resilience and support future growth, Jupiter noted in its annual report to Mining Weekly. Previous export-efficiency improvements have included scaling lower-cost channels through KuGompo City and Lüderitz. Tshipi, in partnership with Tradeport Namibia, is planning a transshipment project at the Port of Lüderitz that would enable larger vessels to load at anchorage, which would reduce overall freight costs. In FY26, the project progressed with ongoing development and expansion work, h...

  2. 5h ago

    Tungsten market value estimates vary, but the upward trajectory is clear

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Research firm Market Data Forecast estimates the value of the global tungsten market to have been $5.14-billion in 2025, which will likely widen to $5.56-billion in 2026 and further to $10.45-billion by 2034. This equates to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2% between 2026 and 2034. Another research firm, The Business Research Company, puts the tungsten market value at $6.66-billion in 2026 and at $9.62-billion by 2030, which is a CAGR of 9.6%. Grand View Research, in turn, measures the tungsten market value at $1.84-billion in 2024 and expects it to rise at a CAGR of 4.7% to $2.84-billion by 2033. Although forecasters differ on how large the tungsten market is, they agree on the direction, particularly given price movements. Canada News Group, which is a paid media commentary channel for GoldHaven Resources Group, says tungsten concentrate prices was assessed by Fastmarkets at between $750 per metric tonne unit (mtu) and $850/mtu at the start of the year, but held between $2 500/mtu and $2 800/mtu since May 29. This marks a tripling of the price in five months, which Canada News Group says is largely explained by supply policy. In December 2025, China authorised only 15 companies to export tungsten in 2026 and 2027, which is a decision having been formalised through the dual-use items catalogue. In the US, the Bureau of Industry and Security published a temporary final rule on August 6 which implemented a Directive Allocation Order requiring US sellers of tungsten waste and scrap to allocate 100% of their monthly sales to domestic buyers through August 27, 2027. Procurement rules also add a hard date. Through the end of 2026, the US's restrictions for defence procurement on tungsten sourced from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea turn on where material was melted or produced. From January 1 next year this clause widens to the mine or ore stage and names recycled and scrap material explicitly, therefore material passed through a recycling system no longer resets its country of origin. In turn, Canada added tungsten to eligible materials under the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit in 2025, which provides a 30% credit on flow-through agreements entered into after November 4, 2025 and on or before March 31, 2027. Globally, policy, price and procurement deadlines are pulling tungsten exploration money toward historic ground in North America. Current North America-focused tungsten developers include Nasdaq-listed Almonty Industries with its Sangdong mine in South Korea; NYSE-listed Guardian Metal Resources which is advancing two tungsten projects in Nevada; NYSE-listed Kennametal, which produces tungsten carbide tooling for metal cutting and wear applications; Nasdaq-listed Elmet Group, which owns the Blue Moon's Springer tungsten project in Nevada and is developing an ammonium paratungstate facility. GoldHaven itself has the Magno project, in British Columbia, as its flagship operation where diamond drilling is currently active at the Kuhn tungsten target.

  3. 1d ago

    South Africa’s complementary A2X exchange attracts another mining listing

    South Africa's complementary A2X exchange attracts another mining listing This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. The ordinary shares of precious metals mining company Sibanye-Stillwater have been approved for inclusion in the list of qualifying equity securities to be traded on South Africa's complementary A2X stock exchange. With effect from October 6, the secondary A2X listing is poised to support liquidity and provide investors with greater access to the ordinary shares of Sibanye-Stillwater, which at the time of going to press had a market capitalisation of R117-billion. Sibanye-Stillwater, the primarily listing of which remains on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), also has a secondary listing of American depositary shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Interestingly, the A2X listing will bring the instruments available for trade on A2X to 167, including 31 Top 40 constituents, with a combined market capitalisation of R12-trillion-plus. Other mining companies with secondary A2X listings include Harmony Gold, Impala Platinum, Gold Fields, and AngloGold Ashanti. Sibanye-Stillwater's issued share capital on the JSE remains unaffected by its A2X listing, for which there is no cost. "We're delighted to welcome Sibanye-Stillwater to A2X. This listing reflects the growing confidence issuers have in A2X as a credible, cost-effective secondary market, and gives investors greater choice in how they access one of South Africa's leading mining companies," A2X CEO Kevin Brady stated in a release to Mining Weekly. A2X is regulated under the Financial Markets Act by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the Prudential Authority. Sibanye-Stillwater is one of the largest producers and refiners of platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium and is a top-tier gold producer. It also produces nickel, chrome, copper, silver, cobalt and zinc. The company has also diversified into mining and processing battery metals and has increased its presence in the circular economy by expanding recycling and secondary-mining globally. Geographically, its operations span Southern Africa, North America, Europe and Australia. On Monday, September 28, Sibanye-Stillwater received formal notification that the total ordinary share interest held by JPMorgan Chase had risen to 5.04% of the total issued ordinary shares of Sibanye-Stillwater, which followed notification on September 18 that the total ordinary share interest held by UBS Group AG had risen to 5.03%.

  4. 1d ago

    North American energy storage to drive lithium carbonate demand through 2031

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Market research firm Mordor Intelligence expects the global lithium carbonate market to grow from 141-million lithium carbonate-equivalent (LCE) tons in 2026 to 3.93-million LCE tons by 2031, marking a 22.74% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), with new projects in Chile and Nevada gradually expanding supply outside of China. China currently accounts for between 60% and 70% of global lithium refining, yet imports 80% of its spodumene from Australia. Lithium processing remains concentrated in few regions, creating supply chain risks and dependence on imported raw materials. Mordor explains that new refining projects outside of China often face lengthy approval processes, stringent technical requirements and shortages of skilled workers, which all slow capacity expansion in the lithium industry. Japan and South Korea, for example, continue to depend heavily on imported battery-grade lithium carbonate, leaving them exposed to changes in regional supply policies. North America is expanding its lithium carbonate capacity as government incentives encourage local mining, refining and battery production, however, permitting and development timelines remain challenges to more rapid expansion. Growth in the lithium carbonate industry is supported by the increasing use of lithium iron phosphate batteries which rely on lithium carbonate, along with rising demand for energy storage. US utility-scale energy storage installments alone this year are poised to reach triple that of the 57.6 GWh figure in 2025. Mordor comments further in respect of market trends that direct lithium extraction is moving toward broader commercial use, with new methods helping to improve recovery rates, reduce energy use and lower environmental impacts. Recycling is also becoming an integral part of the supply chain by recovering lithium from used battery materials. With lithium carbonate prices remaining highly sensitive to changes in battery demand, mine production and supply availability, Mordor says these frequent price movements often affect producer margins and make investments and production planning more challenging. Lithium carbonate is required to be industrial-grade, technical-grade or battery-grade, with the sources including brine, spodumene - or hard rock, clay and recycled material. Established lithium carbonate suppliers include Albemarle Corporation, Ganfeng Lithium Group, Jiangxi Jiuling Lithium, Lithium Americas Corporation, Lithium Argentina, Pilbara Minerals, Rio Tinto, Shangdong Ruifu Lithium, Tianqi Lithium Corporation and SQM. "As the lithium carbonate market expands, growing demand for lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems is creating opportunities across the battery supply chain. Increasing adoption of lithium iron phosphate battery technology and investments in lithium extraction and refining are also supporting market growth," comments Mordor senior research manager Himanshu Vasisht. By grade, battery-grade material accounted for 82% of the lithium carbonate market share in 2025 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.95% through 2031. By source, brine supplied 65% of the market share in 2025, however, hard-rock spodumene is forecast to grow the fastest at a CAGR of 23% through 2031. By application, lithium-ion batteries held 89% of the market share in 2025, yet energy storage systems are expected to lead growth with a 24% CAGR through 2031. Energy storage systems will likely consume 42% of global lithium carbonate stocks by 2035, up from 8% in 2020. By geography, Asia-Pacific commanded 79% of the lithium carbonate market share in 2025, however, North America is anticipated to be the fastest-growing region, growing at a CAGR of 28% through 2031.

  5. 2d ago

    Gold Fields, Northern Star mix looks like match made in heaven but uncertainty prevails

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Gold Fields has more than doubled free cash flow in the last twelve months; Northern Star has suffered free cash flow decline in the same period despite gold price rise. Gold Fields has a settled leadership team; Northern Star has a CEO, CFO and chief development officer transition underway during a period of project execution and delivery. In Western Australia, where Gold Fields has a quarter-century experience, the assets of the two companies are close to one another, but the performance of one of Northern Star's assets is dependent on the extended ramp-up through financial year 2029 and the other is a long-term growth option that Gold Fields can accelerate. Downstream processing is alsl key and the reserves of 92% of Northern Star's Western Australian assets are within 100 km of existing Gold Fields' processing infrastructure. By combining the two complementary businesses, $4-billion to $5-billion worth of value is likely to be unlocked. So, on September 13 submitted a proposal to the Northern Star board to acquire 100% of the ordinary shares in Northern Star by way of a scheme of arrangement that gives Northern Star a third of Gold Fields. Then on September 26, the Australia Stock Exchange (ASX)-listed the Northern Star informed Gold Fields that it was not appropriate to engage in further discussions. At the time of going to press, Gold Fields presentation document to be presented at the 2026 Mining Forum in Denver stated that: "There can be no certainty that any further engagements with Northern Star will materialise, or that a transaction will be successfully concluded." But Gold Fields is not giving up, owing to the firm conviction that both companies will benefit significantly from the proposed transaction involving Northern Star shareholders owning 33% of the shares of Gold Fields and having a mix-and-match facility to enable them to elect to receive the default consideration, 100% cash or 100% shares. Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Gold Fields would set out to establish a secondary listing on the ASX of the new Gold Fields shares issued to Northern Star shareholders. This would give rise to output of 4.1-million ounces of gold a year, 80% of it from Australia and the rest from North America, Chile and South Africa. The combined entity would have 77-million ounces and 181-million resource ounces. The contiguous Western Australian footprint allows access to higher-grade feed and reducing operating costs through lower haulage and processing costs. The combined group would also likely realise procurement, maintenance and tax synergies. A growth pipeline of 800 000 oz a year is envisaged from value realisation at Hemi, in Western Australia, Salares Norte in Chile and and the advance of Windfall in Canada. Forming a solid foundation under all this is Gold Fields' long-life South Deep gold mine in South Africa. With Gold Fields' management currently in attendance at Mining Forum Americas, taking place until September 30, Mining Weekly put these questions to Gold Fields CFO Alex Dall and Gold Fields VP Investor Relations Shilan Modi. Why do you describe your offer to Northern Star shareholders as compelling? We believe that this proposed consideration appropriately affects both the quality of their portfolio and the value available through a combination of both businesses, and this proposal gives Northern Star shareholders an attractive premium, as well as 33% ownership of the combined group, which will provide ongoing participation and strategic and financial benefits. We see real substantial value creation opportunities from the combination, with preliminary estimates of $4-billion to $5-billion of operational corporate and portfolio optimisation synergies, and they'll be able to parti...

  6. 2d ago

    Fortescue, Metso reach green ironmaking milestone

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Iron-ore major Fortescue's Christmas Creek Green Metal Project, which features mining technology specialist Metso's Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) Smelting Furnace technology, has produced its first hot metal in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The project marks an important milestone for Fortescue and Metso in developing a pathway toward producing green metal from Pilbara iron-ore using new low-emission smelting technologies. "This is a significant milestone for our Green Metal Project and another step towards producing commercial-scale green metal in Australia. For decades Australia has exported iron-ore to the world. The next opportunity is to create more value from that ore by producing green metal here at home," says Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto. Metso contributed the core smelting design and technology for the project with its electric DRI Smelting Furnace. The technology is being tested for its potential to enable the use of Pilbara iron-ore fines in lower-emission ironmaking routes. Installation of Metso's equipment commenced in September 2025. "We congratulate Fortescue on this significant step forward. The production of first hot metal at the Christmas Creek Green Metal Project demonstrates the role of Metso's DRI Smelting Furnace technology in advancing lower-emission ironmaking. The project will provide important learnings as Fortescue works towards developing a pathway for green iron production at scale using Pilbara ore. We are proud to support Fortescue in this pioneering work," says Metso minerals president Piia Karhu. Metso's DRI Smelting Furnace technology offers a route to producing high-quality iron units suitable for downstream steelmaking with lower emissions than conventional blast furnace routes. The technology has been developed to unlock the utilisation of extensive iron-ore reserves for green ironmaking that have previously been considered unsuitable for the DRI steelmaking route owing to their higher gangue content.

  7. 5d ago

    Rainbow Rare Earths secures Neo Performance Materials as technical, offtake partner

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. London-listed Rainbow Rare Earths has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Toronto-listed Neo Performance Materials for technical support and design input for Rainbow's final solvent extraction separation circuit. Neo has started with testwork of Rainbow's high-grade rare earths solution at its facilities in Estonia. Once completed, Neo will assist with running a confirmatory integrated pilot-scale separation plant in Johannesburg to support the Phalaborwa project's definitive feasibility study (DFS). In return for the use of Neo's rare earth separation technology, Rainbow will grant offtake rights to Neo covering 40% of planned neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr) production, and 65% of heavy rare earths production - including samarium, europium and gadolinium - from the Phalaborwa rare earths project, in South Africa. Rainbow says working with Neo will enable the release of a prefeasibility study (PFS) on Phalaborwa during the fourth quarter, ahead of a DFS by the first half of 2027. The final separation circuit of Phalaborwa is expected to deliver separated NdPr oxide at 99% purity and a mixed heavy rare earth carbonate containing dysprosium and terbium, suitable for further separation at Neo's facilities. Rainbow CEO George Bennett says finalising a technology partner for the solvent extraction separation process was the remaining step required to complete the definition of the company's process to extract rare earths from phosphogypsum waste. "We are delighted that Neo has agreed to partner with us - their deep understanding and experience in rare earth separation and magnet materials is invaluable. That they have taken the decision to partner with Rainbow is in line with an aligned strategy to secure a vital, verifiable source of the permanent magnet elements required to satisfy demand for a reliable, secure supply of rare earths," he adds. Rainbow's decision to release a PFS will enable key project development activities to be initiated in earnest to support the overall timeline to production. It also supports Rainbow in evaluating the opportunity to list in the US. "This partnership with Rainbow advances Neo's strategy to build a secure and resilient rare earth magnet supply chain supported by diverse, secondary sources of rare earth feedstock. Rainbow's Phalaborwa project is a distinctive opportunity with the potential to reach the market in a relatively short timeframe. Owing to the phosphogypsum already being at surface, it requires no new mining and provides for a lower development risk profile than many greenfield projects," explains Neo president and CEO Rahim Suleman. Suleman concludes that by combining Rainbow's expertise in recovering rare earths from phosphogypsum with Neo's decades of experience in rare earth separation, processing and magnet manufacturing allows both teams to jointly optimise the process from recovery through final separation, while providing customers with the secure, traceable supply chains that critical minerals markets increasingly demand.

  8. 5d ago

    AMCU reiterates call for less mine work outsourcing as fourth Sibanye fatality is reported

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has reported a fourth mineworker having been killed at Sibanye-Stillwater's operations this year, which adds to the national mining fatality figure of 52 so far this year. A mineworker was reportedly found with a severe head injury at the Beatrix gold mine, in the Free State, on September 21, where he worked for Sibanye directly as a winch operator. AMCU says the cause of the incident remains unclear and it awaits the outcome of an investigation into all underlying and contributing factors. The union reiterates its clarion call for better enforcement, particularly in respect of glaring malpractices when it comes to disparity between practices at mines themselves compared to those at subcontracting companies operating at mines. AMCU maintains that core mining work should be performed directly by employed mineworkers and that contractors should be used only for genuinely specialised work that requires expertise that is otherwise not reasonably available within the mine's permanent workforce. "The continued outsourcing of core mining work can create gaps in accountability, supervision, training, experience and health and safety standards. The Mine Health and Safety Act must be amended to strengthen enforcement and hold mine bosses personally accountable when their failures expose mineworkers to preventable harm," says AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa.

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MiningWeekly.com provides real time news reportage through originated written & video material. Now you can listen to the top three articles on Mining Weekly at the end of each day.

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