Index

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) is being funded US$58.5 million from the United States government to finish building the country’s first integrated rare earth magnet plant, one that will supply General Motors.

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) and The Copper Mark are collaborating on a pilot project seeking to enhance the assurance processes of both Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) and the Copper Mark standards.

Today, I’m taking a deep dive into the ill-fated nickel market. If you’re a close follower of commodity markets, you probably know the problems afflicting this sector. Surging output from Indonesia’s nickel laterite mines has flooded the market with new supply.

Chilean miner Antofagasta (LSE: ANTO) has secured US$2.5 billion to finance a second concentrator at its Centinela copper mine in the country’s north, which will add 144,000 tonnes a year to the company’s overall production.

New Found Gold (TSXV: NFG, NYSE: NFGC) is reporting bonanza-grade drill results at its Iceberg target on the Queensway project in central Newfoundland.

Prices for lithium and the stocks of companies trying to mine it are poised to rebound by July although they’re unlikely to resume the boom times of two years ago, Canaccord Genuity analysts say.

OceanaGold (TSX: OGC; US-OTC: OCANF) is hoping its Waihi North project will meet the requirements for accelerated development of major projects under a new permitting regime introduced by New Zealand’s recently elected government.

Vancouver-based Solaris Resources (TSX: SLS) announced a trilateral cooperation agreement with the Interprovincial Federation of Shuar Centers (FICSH) and Ecuador’s Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Despite the 80% retreat in lithium prices over the past year, junior companies in the space are confident in the long-term view for the battery metal.

Patriot Battery Metals (TSX: PMET; ASX: PMT) has leveraged its management’s experience in Australia — the world’s largest lithium producer — to make lightning-fast progress at its Corvette project in Quebec.

The indicated resource count at Tudor Gold‘s (TSXV: TUD) flagship Treaty Creek project in British Columbia has grown by 19% in terms of gold-equivalent ounces following last year’s drill program targeting the northern portion of the Goldstorm deposit.

SolGold (TSX: SOLG; LSE: SOLG) has managed to slash the upfront cost of its 100%-owned Cascabel project in Ecuador while the company continues to explore the potential sale of its flagship copper-gold property. A new pre-feasibility study released Friday showed a sizeable reduction in the initial capital cost, highlighted by over US$1 billion in savings.