January 21, 2026 Korea Zinc says US smelter’s waste pile has $3 billion in metal The company bought the Nyrstar processing plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, and now plans to invest $7.4 billion to expand and refurbish it.
January 21, 2026 US House votes to overturn Minnesota mining ban, Senate to consider next If the ban is lifted, the Trump administration would then be free to reissue mining leases to Chile-focused Antofagasta.
January 21, 2026 Tests confirm battery grade cobalt sulphate at NICO project in Northwest Territories The company says its flagship NICO deposit contains 12% of global bismuth reserves as well as 1.1 million in-situ ounces of gold.
January 21, 2026 Zambian power trader plans $100 million link to Tanzania Kanona Power’s planned high-voltage line would help boost electricity supplies to copper mines seeking alternative energy sources.
January 21, 2026 Trump streamlines permitting for deep-sea miners NOAA’s new rules, which take effect immediately, consolidate applications into a single, shorter review period.
January 21, 2026 President-elect Kast stuns miners with Chile ministry merge A late cabinet shift rattled investors, reversed a mining appointment and reignited debate over Chile’s investment climate.
January 21, 2026 Copper price spreads ease in sign squeeze will prove short-lived Contracts maturing tomorrow closed at a $2 premium to those expiring a day later, after the one-day spread briefly spiked to a huge premium of $100 a ton.
January 21, 2026 Rio Tinto copper output rises as merger talks loom Strong iron ore shipments and Oyu Tolgoi’s copper surge steadied results, but analysts question chasing Glencore at cycle highs.
January 20, 2026 Rio Tinto’s fourth-quarter iron ore, copper output beat estimates Despite the comeback performance, Rio Tinto is still in danger of losing the top producer spot to Brazil's Vale.
January 20, 2026 Key LME copper spread spikes to highest level since 2021 squeeze Copper contracts expiring Wednesday briefly traded at a $100 premium to those expiring a day later.
South32 posts nearly 17% jump in quarterly manganese output The world's biggest manganese producer produced 1.3 million wet metric tons of the steel additive for the December quarter. January 21, 2026 | 02:06 pm
