Guinea’s long-anticipated intervention in the bauxite market is beginning to take shape.

Blue Moon Metals’ acquisition of the past-producing Apex mine in Utah from Canadian miner Teck Resources is the latest example of the push to boost gallium and germanium production in the West. But for miners seeking to cash in on higher prices of these metals, smelting arrangements remain a question.

Rio Tinto Aluminium is expanding its footprint beyond its historic hydro-powered Canadian base, targeting Europe, Asia and Latin America as part of a deliberate diversification strategy, according to the unit’s chief executive officer.

The webinar “Lithium in South America: An overview of the present and future,” presented the chance to gain valuable insights into the key dynamics currently influencing the lithium markets in South America, alongside expectations for how the regional and global outlook may evolve.

The European Union’s Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), published on Wednesday March 4, was a new step in the bloc’s efforts to decarbonize heavy industry and to support strategic supply chains in sectors such as steel, cement and aluminium.

The aluminium market is being pulled in two directions by the Middle East conflict: upstream feedstocks sit in temporary buffer stocks, while delivering metal to consuming regions is becoming increasingly difficult.

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Port of Sohar in Oman are becoming tactical workarounds for base metal exports blocked by the Strait of Hormuz closure, with cargo transiting via land-bridge to other Gulf states, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – though capacity constraints and elevated logistics costs limit availability, sources with direct visibility of Gulf supply chains told Fastmarkets.

The US military is seeking proposals to expand domestic production of 13 critical minerals used in defense and high‑tech applications. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains amid heightened geopolitical tensions and growing risks to global commodities trade.

Liontown Resources has revived its previously deferred expansion study at its Kathleen Valley mine and is weighing near-term orders for long-lead equipment, its chief executive officer said – the clearest signal yet that growth planning is returning to the agenda as lithium market conditions stabilize.

The escalating tensions between Iran and Israel since Saturday February 28 have heightened market concerns over potential disruptions to maritime trade routes, particularly the Strait of Hormuz – a key transit corridor for Iranian material shipments bound for China.