Natural Resources Canada plans to hire a British firm to provide 10-year market forecasts for nearly two dozen vital minerals and metals.

Price of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs has dropped 87% since 2010, but reaching price-parity with internal combustion engines has ways to go.

Details about how it will fund the development of a heavy rare earths processing facility in Texas is expected to come by the end of February.

China said this month it’s raising its annual mining quota for rare earths to 132,000 tonnes, 10% above last year’s record high.

The move is part of the company's efforts to increase its footprint beyond beyond Burundi, where it runs the continent's only producing rare earths mine.

In total, the company has raised £11.5-million (about $15m) through a sale of new shares to investors, including Greenland Venture and Vaekstfonden, the Danish state’s investment fund.