News
Ford leads push to shorten US mine permit review process
Blue View 06 Sep 2022The automotive giant asked for faster mine permitting, greater transparency in the review process and a boost in federal funding for geological mapping.
Stainless steel output in Europe scaling back in the face of high energy costs
Blue View 05 Sep 2022Stainless steel producers in Europe have announced several cutbacks and shutdowns at operations, citing high energy prices as the major challenge.
Cobalt Blue advances sample program for potential global partners
Blue View 05 Sep 2022Cobalt Blue completed the extraction of 4,000-5,000t of ore from the Broken Hill Cobalt Project (BHCP) in New South Wales for processing at its Demonstration Plant.
Baltic Sea wind energy supply to increase 7-fold by 2030
Blue View 01 Sep 2022A meeting on offshore wind energy held by the Baltic Sea bordering nations (excluding Russia) agreed to increase offshore wind capacity to 20GW by 2030 and to over 90GW by 2050.
Wyloo Metals follows up its step into battery materials with a stake in rare earths
Blue View 01 Sep 2022With a AUD150M (~US$100M) investment, Wyloo Metals has become a strategic investor in Hastings Technology Metals. The funds are earmarked for Hastings to acquire a 22.1% stake in Neo Performance Materials.
Key takeaways from the SAIMM Battery Raw Material Conference
Events 31 Aug 2022The SAIMM hosted a Battery Raw Materials conference in South Africa with sessions on value chain, technology, sustainability, processing, and recycling of lithium-ion and other battery technologies.
A test site for liquid metal energy storage systems in Colarado
Blue View 31 Aug 2022Colorado utility Xcel Energy will test the use of Ambri’s liquid-metal energy storage technology in a demonstration project of calcium-antimony liquid metal batteries’ ability to interact with renewable energy.
Hydrogen trains in Germany starting to replace diesel locomotives
Blue View 30 Aug 2022Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen has started replacing diesel locomotives with hydrogen-powered trains on a 100km stretch track in northwestern Germany.
Winds of change in the shipping industry
Blue View 30 Aug 2022Global shipping giants including Cargill, Maersk Tankers, and Mitsui are tacking into wind to cut emissions.
Stimulus funds for construction projects announced in China to boost economy
Blue View 29 Aug 2022The Chinese government has announced that it is making funds available for construction projects to help the country out of its economic slump and boost employment in the downturn.
Nava Bharat terminates Tata Steel’s ferrochrome conversion agreement
Blue View 29 Aug 2022Nava Bharat Ventures has terminated the conversion agreement with Tata Steel Mining for the production of ferrochrome and will convert the furnace in November to produce ferromanganese.
Volkswagen looks to Canada to build electric vehicle batteries
Blue View 25 Aug 2022European car manufacturer Volkswagen has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian government to explore opportunities to build out a North American gigafactory for electric vehicle battery manufacturing.
July steel production continues the decline - no end in sight
Blue View 25 Aug 2022World crude steel production dropped -6.5% y-on-y in July, confirming the trend observed over the past few months, amidst a deteriorating macro environment, a perduring conflict in Ukraine and the zero-COVID policy in China.
Project Blue’s Rare Earth Market Service: Out Now
Announcement 24 Aug 2022Project Blue has released its Rare Earth Market Service. Stay you up-to-date with the latest developments, trends, and risks across the industry.
BYD adds battery and lithium capacity in China
Blue View 24 Aug 2022BYD plans to invest US$4.1Bn in a battery factory and lithium project in Yichun, Jiangxi province.
Moroccan manganese resources for the EV material supply chain
Blue View 24 Aug 2022Gold Lion Resources announced the development and exploration of a manganese mine in Morocco by signing a letter of intent to acquire a 50% interest in a mining license from Ermazon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elcora Advanced Materials.
BMW Group signs agreement for green steel supply
Blue View 23 Aug 2022H2 Green Steel announced that the Swedish company signed an agreement with German automaker BMW Group for the supply of green steel as part of several measures agreed between the parties for BMW to meet its carbon reduction targets.
Chemours commences commissioning new heavy mineral sands mine in Florida
Blue View 23 Aug 2022Leading titanium dioxide producer, Chemours, has kicked off commissioning at Trail Ridge South, an expansion of its existing Trial Ridge operation in Clay County, Florida, USA.
China’s H2 2022 rare earth quota soars full-year potential to record levels
Blue View 22 Aug 2022The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources issued the second batch of 2022 rare earth mining and separation quotas, ramping up 25% y-on-y to over 200kt rare earths.
Arab Alloys launches industrial complex in the Suez Canal Economic Zone
Blue View 22 Aug 2022Arab Alloys is establishing a US$52M industrial complex in the Suez Canal Economic Zone to produce 48kt of ferrosilicon as well as ferro-silicomanganese and silicon metal.
US Inflation Reduction Act resets EV tax credits
Blue View 18 Aug 2022President Biden signed into law legislation that will reshape the tax incentives associated with EV production and sales in the USA. While established players such as Tesla now become eligible again, all manufacturers will now have to show ‘domestic’ sourcing of key components and materials to qualify.