Tungsten West produces first trial concentrate at Hemerdon mine in UK
Key African copper trade route reopens between Zambia and Tanzania
Asia’s coal mavericks chase riches while giant miners scale back
China lifts export ban on gallium, germanium and antimony to US
China has lifted a nearly year-long ban on exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the US, in a further de-escalation of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
In a statement issued on Sunday, China’s commerce ministry said it will pause its export ban on these minerals and related end-use items for about one year. The ban was first imposed in December 2024 in retaliation for US export controls on high-bandwidth memory chips into China towards the end of the Biden administration.
The US considers all three minerals to be critical to its national security and economy. Gallium and germanium are both essential for semiconductors, with the former also used in advanced radar technology and the latter in infrared technology, fiber optic cables and solar cells. Antimony is widely used in military applications such as flame retardants and primers for ammunition.
According to the consultancy Project Blue, China accounted for almost half of the world’s mined antimony in 2023, as well as nearly 60% of global refined germanium production and 99% of refined gallium output.
The US Geological Survey estimates that the ban on gallium and germanium alone could result in a $3.4 billion hit to the US economy. Around half of the decrease would come from the semiconductor sector, a key battleground between China and the US.
In its statement, the Chinese commerce ministry said the suspension of its 2024 export curbs will take place until Nov. 27, 2026, without providing further details.
The announcement comes just days after China agreed to suspend the additional export controls introduced in early October on rare earths and other battery minerals for one year.
De Beers sources about 70% of its diamonds from Botswana
Botswana and Angola mining authorities met in Botswana’s capital Gaborone on Friday as both nations position themselves to take control of De Beers, the diamond unit Anglo American (LON: AAL) is selling as part of a major restructuring.
Botswana’s mines minister, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, and Angola’s mineral resources minister, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, talked behind closed doors for about 40 minutes before briefly addressing reporters. They said they discussed cooperation in the diamond sector, as well as energy and logistics, but did not provide details.
The meeting sparked market speculation about a possible deal through which the two countries could divide ownership of De Beers, in a potential alliance between Africa’s leading diamond producers.
“At the top of everyone’s minds this year is the performance of the diamond industry and our collaborative efforts in bringing back the spark and the shine to the industry,” Kenewendo said, according to Reuters.
“As some of the largest producers of diamonds by quantity and value in the world, it is only right that we meet and join hands in discussing how to get the most out of this natural resource,” she added.
Deep Sea Rare Minerals (DSRM), the parent company of autonomous underwater vehicle operator Deep Sea Vision, has applied for subsea mineral exploration licences with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The move makes DSRM only the second company, after The Metals Company (Nasdaq: TMC), to publicly announce such an application since US President Donald Trump’s executive order in April promoting the deep-sea mining industry.
The filing coincides with DSRM’s sponsorship of the 2025 Underwater Minerals Conference, running November 9–14 in Honolulu.
NOAA, which regulates mineral exploration and recovery by qualified US entities in international waters, recently pledged to speed up its review process, saying it would “provide the necessary resources for license and permit reviews to ensure that those reviews go forward without undue delays.”
Tony Romeo, chief executive of DSRM and a former US Air Force intelligence officer, said the company is ready to help strengthen national mineral supply chains.
“As an American-based company, we are ideally positioned to leverage our deep-water equipment, personnel, and operational expertise,” Romeo said. “We look forward to working with NOAA and other federal agencies throughout this application process to become a dependable supplier of US-sourced critical minerals.”
Vedanta Resources announced Thursday the launch of CopperTech Metals Inc., a US-domiciled company with a mission to bolster America’s copper security needs.
The India-based miner said it will be capitalizing on surging copper demand driven by data center expansion, grid modernization, defense technologies and industrial onshoring requirements.
CopperTech will own and operate Konkola Copper Mines in Zambia, one of the highest-grade copper-producing assets in the world with proven cobalt reserves.
CopperTech intends to build on the existing $3 billion investment made by Vedanta in Konkola – which included the construction of a deep mine shaft, a smelter and a concentrator, as well as general mine development – and intends to invest an additional $1.5 billion in the operation.
Konkola’s board includes Zambian representation from ZCCM-IH, the diversified state-owned mining investment organization, which holds a 20.6% interest.
The new company intends to leverage advanced mining and AI-driven resource identification and extraction technology, an integral part of its plans to expand production capacity and enhance operational efficiency from the currently planned levels of 140,000 tonnes in fiscal 2026 to 300,000 tonnes by 2031.
With future investments, and supported by proven and probable reserves, CopperTech said it intends to raise production levels to 500,000 tonnes per year.
“Today marks a historic and pivotal moment, CopperTech will play a significant role in connecting America’s critical mineral needs with Zambia’s historic copper legacy,” Anil Agarwal, founder and chairman of Vedanta Group, said in a news release.
“This partnership will unlock a wave of innovation and advancement in clean energy, technology, and industrial progress on both sides of the Atlantic,” Agarwal added.
Tungsten West produces first trial concentrate at Hemerdon mine in UK
Tungsten West (LON: TUN) has successfully generated its first tungsten concentrate from the ongoing mineral processing trial towards restarting the Hemerdon mine in Devon, England.
Tungsten West team at the Hemerdon Mineral Processing Facility with trial tungsten concentrate.
The trial is being undertaken as part of a program focused on testing and optimizing the performance of key sections of the mine’s processing facility. The program is part of Tungsten West’s approach to de-risking operations and gathering technical data essential for the planned restart of full-scale production.
Tungsten is a smaller market, with an estimated value of around $5 billion in 2023. But the industries that depend on it are getting bigger, and it is the material of choice for a key defense application – what the military calls penetrators – high-density, armour-piercing projectiles.
Hemerdon, formerly known as Drakelands mine, or the Hemerdon Ball or Hemerdon Bal mine, has a history of mining activity. Operations date back to 1918, with production during both World Wars, according to the company’s website.
Further exploration and feasibility work were carried out in the 1980s. The site was later developed into a modern operation and produced tungsten and tin between August 2015 and October 2018 under previous operators. The mine is located 7 miles northeast of Plymouth, and is one of the largest tungsten resources in the world, the Plympton-headquartered miner said.
Tungsten West said the first concentrate production marks an important milestone in restarting operations at Hemerdon — a strategically important project to the UK and Europe that could provide a secure supply of tungsten outside of China, with restart of operations anticipated by late 2026.
“The progress we are making in this processing trial is an important milestone in restarting operations at Hemerdon and provides confidence to our neighbours, the environment agency, our investors and off-takers that we are moving towards production,” Tungsten West CEO Jeff Court said in a news release.
“We have ensured that all activities throughout this trial have been conducted to high environmental and operational standards,” Court continued. “As the need for a diversified source of tungsten intensifies, Hemerdon becomes an even more important strategic asset.”
Tungsten West’s London-listed shares closed the day up 12%. The company has a £21.28 million ($28 million) market capitalization.
Key African copper trade route reopens between Zambia and Tanzania
Tanzania has reopened its border with Zambia, restoring cargo flows along a key trade corridor for Africa’s two biggest copper exporters after post-election unrest brought consignments to a standstill last week.
The situation normalized on Monday, Oliver Nzala, corporate communications manager at the Zambia Revenue Authority, said by phone Wednesday. The border authorities are working on reducing the backlog, clearing on average 250 trucks daily in each direction, he added.
Tanzania’s main port of Dar es Salaam — a crucial hub for copper and cobalt shipments from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia to China — also serves as a key fuel-import terminal for the region.
Asia’s coal mavericks chase riches while giant miners scale back
Deep in the rainforests of Indonesia, a group of miners is betting there’s still billions to be made from the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel.
Global mining giants have largely retreated from coal under pressure from Western investors and governments, but consumption is climbing to new highs. Roza Permana Putra, who oversees the PT Triaryani mine in remote South Sumatra, is among those hoping to capitalize on this gap between green promises and real-world progress.
“Coal is a black sheep,” said Putra, the mine’s local director, taking a drag of his cigarette while motioning towards excavators lifting smoldering piles of coal onto trucks. “This is my baby.”
The 59-year-old first arrived a decade ago when the site was pristine jungle. Since then, rows of trees have been felled and the earth split open for excavation. Singapore-listed Geo Energy Resources Ltd., which bought the mine in 2023, is cranking up coal production. Including its initial purchase and ongoing infrastructure investments, the company is spending a total of around $500 million on Triaryani. The wager is simple: that demand will linger far longer than experts predict.
So far, the bet looks solid. Although much of the developed world is reducing coal mining and shifting to renewables, global demand hasn’t yet peaked as expected by researchers including the International Energy Agency — a reality reflected in the shifting rhetoric of political leaders.
