Copper prices will need to rise to incentivise new supply as demand upside is potentially “unlimited”, Paul Gait, Group Head of Strategy at Anglo American, told the Benchmark Week 2024 conference. Gait emphasised copper’s foundational role in the global economy and its importance in the energy transition. Without copper, “the decarbonisation and electrification of the […]
> The broad LME/CME arbitrage continues to be a talking point, even months after it collapsed as result of cathodes being precluded from US copper tariffs. The reason the topic is still being broadly discussed is because, despite the arbitrage collapsing from its heights above $2500/t it is still relatively broad. This morning the arbitrage sat […]
> South Korea’s battery industry is one of the most developed and globally integrated ecosystems in the world. Yet beneath the surface of its technical leadership lies a sense of caution: competition from China is intensifying, margins are thin, and chemistry choices are shifting rapidly. A recent visit by Benchmark’s Lithium Product Director, Cameron Perks – […]
> President-elect Donald Trump should focus on building out the midstream of the battery supply chain in the US, to reduce the risk of valuable recycled materials being sent overseas to be processed, JB Straubel, the founder of Redwood Materials, told the Benchmark Week 2024 conference. The US “could risk being a consumer and importer and […]
> US President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a landmark Critical Minerals Framework to bolster both nations’ access to rare earths and other critical minerals, in an effort to counter China’s dominance over strategically important supply chains. The framework indicates that the two governments will utilise a range of policy instruments to […]
> South Korean steel and chemicals giant POSCO has taken a 30% stake in Australia’s Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) 50% stakes in the Mt Marion and Wodgina mines for US$765 million. Structured as a joint venture, the deal would see MinRes and POSCO hold an overall 35% and 15% of the operations, as well as corresponding rights […]
> The US electric vehicle (EV) market is entering a mass adoption phase, according to panellists at Benchmark Week 2024 in Los Angeles, in which infrastructure, policy, and affordability challenges will determine the industry’s trajectory over the coming years. “The thrust of electrification is relentless,” said Stephen Kosowski, Manager, Long Range Strategy & Planning at Kia North […]
> CODELCO, the Chilean state-owned copper miner, has reportedly offered their European customers record premiums on copper cathodes at USD 325/t for 2026 – 39% higher than last year’s level – according to sources familiar with the matter and media reports. This follows on from news last week that Aurubis increased offers 38% for 2026, leaving […]
> Indonesia has issued a ban on the issuance of new smelter permits for nickel matte, mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), and nickel pig iron (NPI), in a bid to curb overcapacity and incentivise value‑added investment in the battery supply chain. The policy marks the latest chapter in the Indonesian government’s strategic pivot in its nickel industrialisation […]