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.

Europe is facing a potential green aluminium deficit as production halts in Iceland and Mozambique threaten regional supply. Market analysts warn that the resulting shortage of low-carbon aluminium could reshape trade flows and drive higher premiums through 2026.

Saudi Arabia’s ambition to become a global mining powerhouse is no longer only a vision; it is now a sprint. Robert Wilt, chief executive officer of Maaden, outlined the company’s rapid transformation into one of the world’s largest diversified miners, driven by speed, scale and technology.

Argentina is strengthening its role in the global energy transition through a comprehensive critical minerals strategy that extends beyond lithium to include copper, LNG, uranium and renewables. The country’s stable governance and investment-friendly policies are enhancing its appeal to international partners.

The London Metal Exchange (LME) has set out its plan to launch low-carbon base metals price premiums for nickel, aluminium, zinc and copper in a white paper published on Monday October 13.

The effect of the fatal rock burst at Codelco’s flagship El Teniente mine will be greater than initially expected, with copper production losses now forecast to reach 48,000 tonnes in 2025, the Chilean producer’s chairman has said.

Geology not ideology: Why collaboration is key in the critical minerals supply chain

Tristan Pascall, chief executive officer of Vancouver-based First Quantum Minerals, gave an exclusive interview with Fastmarkets on Friday August 29, in which he explains why Africa is the best place to build large copper mines, and gave his opinion of the outlook for the nickel, gold and copper sectors.

Critical minerals investment company TechMet Ltd is setting up a new trading arm, TechMet SCM, backed by additional investment from Mercuria Energy Trading.