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  • A red Jeep Wrangler EV plugged into a “powered by sunshine” charger.

    NioCorp works on Al-Sc alloy car parts

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 9, 2024

    One way to extend the range of an electric vehicle, or even get better gas mileage out of a conventional internal combustion automobile, is to lighten the load. NioCorp Developments Ltd. is working with automakers to develop strong and lightweight aluminum-scandium auto parts in the United States that will do just that. NioCorp has been advancing a strategy to commercially produce aluminum-scandium master alloy, which only needs a small dose of scandium to bolster the...

  • A silver hydrogen airship flies over a lake during the summer in Finland.

    Intelligent airships monitor nickel mine

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Nov 25, 2023

    Terrafame selects Kelluu airships to monitor, create a 3D twin of nickel mine in Finland. Will autonomous airships become a common site over safe and efficient mines of the future? The answer to this question may lie in the success of Terrafame's use of Kelluu dirigibles to monitor its 23-square-mile (60 square kilometers) nickel mine and processing plant in Finland. Terrafame's project is a complete battery materials supply chain that begins with an open-pit mine at the... Full story

  • Colorful balanced stones in shallow waters near a beach.

    Rare earths future hangs in the balance

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Nov 20, 2023

    A growing imbalance in the supply and demand for rare earths is creating a challenge for the companies that produce this suite of technology elements and an opportunity for the scientists seeking ways to leverage their unique properties in new and intriguing ways. While it is true that the global transition to zero-carbon energy and transportation is creating new rare earths demand that threatens to outstrip the global supply, the real disparity has more to do with which of... Full story

  • A rock hammer laying atop a pile of rare earths enriched carbonatites.

    Evidence of larger Sheep Creek REE deposit

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 24, 2023

    New geophysical surveys identify potential source of the high-grade rare earths found on the surface at Montana project. A pair of recent geophysical surveys has identified a potentially larger source of the high-grade rare earths, gallium, niobium, and other critical minerals found on the surface at U.S. Critical Materials Corp.'s Sheep Creek project in southwestern Montana. Long known as a potential domestic supply of niobium, which is a critical ingredient in high-strength...

  • Heavily mineralized rock with veining and orange, red, and purple colorization.

    A fortunate bismuth-cobalt partnership

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Oct 24, 2023

    Rio Tinto, Fortune Minerals team up to recover critical minerals at Nico refinery in Alberta. To bolster the North American supply of critical minerals, global mining giant Rio Tinto and Canadian mine developer Fortune Minerals Ltd. are working together to improve the recovery of bismuth and cobalt from ore and waste streams. "We are committed to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs to grow and decarbonize," said Rio Tinto Kennecott Managing Director Nate...

  • Closeup of the gallium and germanium entries on the periodic table of elements.

    China's gallium, germanium exports hit zero

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 20, 2023

    August stoppage is due to timeline to gain approvals under new export limitation process; longer-term curbs yet to be known. While gallium and germanium exports out of China dropped to zero during August, it is too early to determine just how restrictive the government plans to be on shipping this pair of semiconductor elements out of the country, or the impacts such export curbs will have on the manufacturing of computer chips, fiber optic cables, and other high-tech goods... Full story

  • Electric Cat loader carrying a scoop of gravel.

    A case study for zero-carbon mining

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 18, 2023

    Nouveau Monde, Caterpillar's work to create a model for zero-carbon mining in Quebec; tackles key electric mining questions. From working with Caterpillar to develop an electric mining fleet for its Matawinie graphite mine, to securing affordable hydropower to produce lithium battery anode material, Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. continues to pioneer a low-carbon mine-to-battery supply chain in Quebec. "Quebec is becoming North America's green battery thanks to its vast hydropowe...

  • Closeup of EV plugged into charging station.

    IEA critical minerals strategy emerges

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 11, 2023

    Delegates agree on six actions to strengthen and diversify critical energy mineral supply chains. The rapid transition away from the fossil fuels that powered the world through the 20th century and toward lower-carbon sources such as wind and solar is creating enormous new demands for critical minerals and metals like cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel. This interdependency was highlighted during the first-ever International Energy Agency Critical Minerals and Clean Energy...

  • Artist rendering of pumped thermal energy storage to be demonstrated in Alaska.

    DOE backs Alaska thermal energy storage

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 5, 2023

    Westinghouse to build demo plant that stores excess grid electricity as heat; providing secure, low-cost energy storage in cold climates. To help commercialize a renewable energy storage solution that overcomes some of the drawbacks associated with lithium-ion batteries and other traditional storage technologies, the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Westinghouse Electric Company funding for a pumped thermal energy storage system in Alaska. This 1.2 gigawatt-hour...

  • Road sign pointing to Japan and Canada.

    Canada, Japan forge battery alliance

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 5, 2023

    A flurry of industry partnerships on battery material projects followed landmark alliance between nations. In a move that aligns Canada's rich minerals endowment with Japan's battery-making expertise, the two countries have entered into a historic battery supply chain agreement. "Canada and Japan are committed to advancing our shared ambitions to develop sustainable and reliable global battery supply chains," said Canada Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry...

  • Wooden tiles of the elements on the periodic table.

    DOE allots $150M for critical minerals

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 3, 2023

    Seeking to curb the United States' heavy dependence on imports for critical minerals, the U.S. Department of Energy is investing $150 million to support the domestic production of these mined materials essential to clean energy, high-tech manufacturing, and the nation's general economic well-being. "The investments announced today enhance national security by reducing our reliance on foreign sources-while strengthening an existing mining and energy workforce to develop...

  • A soldier launches a small, winged Raven drone during tactical training.

    Pentagon pulls US battery supply chain

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 26, 2023

    Invests $30 million in energy storage systems campus; is aligning military and private sector buying power to speed technology transition in US. The U.S. Department of Defense is investing $30 million to establish an energy storage systems campus that will serve as the headquarters for a U.S. military-private sector alliance to accelerate the transition to next-generation batteries powering everything from smartphones and household appliances to electric vehicles and military...

  • An EV plugged into a battery charger on a sunny day.

    DOE invests $16M in solid battery tech

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 22, 2023

    To accelerate the commercialization of solid-state battery tech for EVs; redox flow batteries for grid-scale renewable energy storage. To speed the commercialization of emerging battery technologies, the U.S. Department of Energy is investing $11 million into solid-state batteries that promise to extend the range and reduce the fire risk of electric vehicles, and $5 million into flow batteries that can serve as a buffer between intermittent renewable power sources and...

  • Hummer EV military prototype charging through mud.

    DOD invests $110.6M in battery projects

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 22, 2023

    Grants DPA Title III funds to support Albemarle lithium, Tamarack nickel projects in the US. Continuing its mission to establish domestic lithium-ion battery supply chains, the U.S. Department of Defense is investing more than $110 million to support lithium and nickel projects in the United States. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Policy, through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP), announced on Sept. 12 that...

  • Rock sample with metallic gold mineralization coated with green copper oxides.

    Bornite's germanium potential revealed

    Shane Lasley, Mining News|Updated Sep 19, 2023

    Colorado School of Mines thesis confirms that the germanium values in Alaska deposit have long been underreported. In addition to hosting 6.3 billion pounds of copper and 88 million lb of cobalt critical to the energy transition, the Bornite deposit in Alaska's Ambler Mining District may also be a significant source of the germanium essential to both clean energy and high-tech. "Germanium is an important metal with numerous applications, particularly in the manufacture of... Full story

  • Silver Cadillac Lyriq EV rolls off a General Motors assembly line in Tennessee.

    Graphite demand outpaces EV sales

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 19, 2023

    Every electric vehicle rolling off an assembly line increases the demand for graphite by an average of around 160 pounds. With more than 30 million EVs expected to hit global highways each year by 2030 and upwards of 45 million by 2045, the transition to e-mobility will require up to eight times more graphite than was mined globally during 2022. While graphite has not received the attention of other EV battery ingredients such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel, this highly... Full story

  • Pile of various gears awaiting to be assembled into a working machine.

    Critical Mineral Alliances are forged

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 19, 2023

    Data Mine North launched the first edition of Critical Minerals Alliances in 2021 with the hopes that this annual magazine would play some small role in helping to build alliances "that are not crippled by irreconcilable differences between organizations and individuals that do not always see eye-to-eye but strengthened by a spectrum of ideologies with a common goal – a healthy, prosperous, and exciting future for humankind." Today, the alliances envisioned by the Data Mine N...

  • A U.S. versus China chess board with metallic gold and silver pieces.

    China plays gallium, germanium pieces

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 14, 2023

    As the White House continues to dole out hundreds of billions of dollars to position America as the global leader in clean energy and digital technologies, Beijing initiates a strategy to put America in check with the global economy equivalent of pawns. These pawns in the technology chess match between the U.S. and China are gallium and germanium, a pair of semiconductor metals used to make the computer chips essential to every facet of modern life. Before all the major news o... Full story

  • Maps showing geophysical anomalies across Australia, Canada, and the U.S.

    Australia, Canada, and US merge geo data

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 11, 2023

    Compile national-scale datasets to assist tri-national critical minerals mapping initiative. Part of a larger collaboration to better understand the critical minerals potential across Australia, Canada, and the United States, the federal geological surveys from the three countries have merged national-scale geological, geophysical, and mineral resource information into a single dataset that is expected to enhance critical mineral discovery. "Geology doesn't stop at the border... Full story

  • Finger changing cube from fossil to H2 in front of other cubes spelling fuel.

    Platinum metals are catalysts for change

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 11, 2023

    After 50 years of scrubbing the emissions from fossil-fueled transportation and industry, platinum group metals are finding new roles as catalysts for the transition to a low-carbon energy future. "Platinum group metals (PGM) are critical for today's energy sector industrial base and will play a key role in tomorrow's decarbonized economy," U.S. Department of Energy inked in an informational brochure on these transitional metals, also known as platinum group elements. PGMs... Full story

  • Golden Gate Bridge disappears into low clouds over San Francisco Bay.

    Bridging the US battery supply chain chasm

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 11, 2023

    There is nearly a $1 trillion chasm between where the United States' lithium battery supply chain is today and where it needs to be by 2035 in order to build the envisioned green energy future where electric vehicles are charged with low-carbon energy. Roughly 40% of this investment will need to go toward ensuring there is a plentiful supply of cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel, and other battery materials. Simon Moores, CEO of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and one of the... Full story

  • A fuchsia sunrise backdrops wind turbines and reflects off solar panels.

    Will US permit a clean energy transition?

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 11, 2023

    The United States has rich deposits of copper, cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel, rare earths, and other mined commodities needed to build the clean energy future. The often decade-long mine permitting timeline in the U.S., however, means that many of these domestic critical mineral sources will be hard-pressed to get developed in time to help meet the climate goals laid out by the White House. This extraordinarily long federal permitting process for large projects has global... Full story

  • Copper cables used for electrical transmission.

    Copper is critical to almost everyone

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 11, 2023

    Everyone agrees that historically enormous quantities of copper are essential to wiring a world in which low-carbon electricity delivered via powerlines supplants fossil fuels pumped through pipelines as the energy solution of choice. The federal entity charged with compiling the list of minerals critical to the United States, however, disagrees with nearly every company, organization, and person associated with the clean energy supply chain on the criticality of the... Full story

  • Lithium-tellurium button cells being held by wired clamps during testing at UBC.

    Tellurium: secret clean energy ingredient

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Sep 11, 2023

    From promising solid-state battery technology that could eliminate range anxiety for electric vehicle owners to solar panels and thermoelectric devices that transform sunshine and heat into low-carbon energy, tellurium is emerging as a secret ingredient of the clean energy future. "It has flown largely under the radar, even though it's essential for cadmium-telluride solar panels and new lithium-tellurium batteries that could revolutionize energy storage," said Tyrone... Full story

  • A technician with electronic equipment surveys a gold mine in Nevada.

    Newmont CEO delivers powerful message

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Sep 8, 2023

    Urges the mining industry to build goodwill and trust to survive societal, geopolitical, and new technology megatrends in a changing world. Newmont President and CEO Tom Palmer did not waste his keynote address at the Minerals Week 2023 gathering in Australia to tout the many achievements of the world's largest gold mining company he leads. Instead, he delivered a powerful and sometimes foreboding message to the mining leaders in the room and around the world about the... Full story

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