Read the key takeaways from a recent conversation on Fast Forward podcast with Vedanta Resources CEO, Deshnee Naidoo, and Andrea Hotter

Spot prices for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) black mass and battery scrap rose during the week to Thursday November 13, driven by a sharp increase in Chinese lithium carbonate prices, sources told Fastmarkets.

Vedanta Resources’ Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Zambia is set for a major revival, after years of under-investment and political uncertainty. The move is being driven by a convergence of capital, government support and shifting geopolitics, according to a senior executive at CopperTech Metals.

Canada has officially designated select minerals - including graphite, scandium, and rare earths - as national security priorities under the country's Defence Production Act, providing guaranteed buyers for some domestic producers and signalling a move closer to government-backed price floors.

The US tungsten supply chain is entering a period of transformation as defense-related funding, new domestic projects, and global trade restrictions reshape market dynamics. The growing focus on national security and critical minerals is driving fresh momentum in US tungsten production.

With cobalt exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) set to resume in a few days’ time, the LME Week event in London has so far served as a mixing pot for opinions on how far the current price rally could go and the blue metal’s long-term future – from a perspective of both upstream DRC policy and downstream battery chemistry.

Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. is about to commission a 50-tonne cobalt production unit in Dayton, Ohio, part of its strategy to scale early annual output to 2,000 tonnes.

Backed by the German government and armed with decades of commodities trading experience, Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) is moving into metals with a deliberate, risk-managed strategy designed to bridge the worlds of energy and industry, a company executive has said.

The US Defense Logistics Agency has canceled its contract opportunity to purchase up to 7,500 tonnes of alloy-grade cobalt due to unresolved issues with the statement of work. The cancellation comes amid a sharp rise in cobalt prices, with the agency indicating the solicitation will be reissued once the issues are resolved.

China’s CMOC Group is pursuing measured growth and global expansion amid geopolitical and market uncertainties, with a focus on copper and gold and an emphasis on maintaining commercial independence and adaptability.