The Mining Insider

The Mining Insider

By Logan Ore - The Pro PodcastersNewsEducation
Download on the App Store

The Mining Insider episodes

  • Energy Fuels Acquires Germany's VAC for $1.9 Billion, BHP Tables Port Hedland Offer, Mali Presses $512M Barrick Claim, Minnesota Mining Ban Overturned
    The Mining Insider | June 23, 2026
    Today's dispatch covers four developments that span rare earth supply chain consolidation, one of Australia's most consequential labor standoffs in decades, a high-stakes sovereign dispute in West Africa, and a landmark policy reversal in the American heartland.
    Story 1 — Energy Fuels + VAC: A $1.9 Billion Mine-to-Magnet Bet
    Energy Fuels (NYSE: UUUU) announced a definitive agreement to acquire Vacuumschmelze GmbH (VAC) from Ara Partners for approximately $1.9 billion in cash and stock. The deal combines Energy Fuels' uranium and rare earth mining assets — including White Mesa Mill, which last week secured a conditional $725M Department of Defense loan — with VAC's rare earth magnet manufacturing capacity in Hanau, Germany. Transaction: $718M cash + 65.85M newly issued shares. Expected close: early 2027. Goldman Sachs advised Energy Fuels; Jefferies advised VAC.
    Story 2 — BHP Port Hedland: Draft Offer Tabled, July 7 Next
    BHP's Australian president Geraldine Slattery tabled a draft enterprise agreement at Port Hedland Tuesday, the first concrete offer in months of talks with three unions (ETU, AMWU, Western Mine Workers' Alliance). Unions seeking $249,000 base salaries by 2028. Unions say 'still some way' from a deal. No industrial action anticipated before July 7 follow-up. Port Hedland: ~$120M/day in BHP iron ore revenue, $7M/day WA royalties.
    Story 3 — Barrick vs. Mali: $512 Million and Rising Pressure
    Mali's junta demands 300 billion CFA francs (~$512M) from Barrick Gold in backdated taxes, customs duties, and contested dividends from its 20% stake in Loulo-Gounkoto (650,000–700,000 oz/year gold). Barrick denies allegations, cites $10B+ contributed to Mali economy. Junta has previously detained staff; settlement range $350–450M floated.
    Story 4 — Minnesota's Twin Metals: The Ban Is Gone
    President Trump signed a Congressional Review Act resolution on April 27, 2026, overturning Public Land Order 7917 — the Biden-era withdrawal of 225,000 acres of Superior National Forest. Twin Metals Minnesota (Antofagasta subsidiary) targeting the Duluth Complex: estimated 95% of US nickel, 88% cobalt, ~33% copper. Initial capex: $1.7B+. DOI record of decision expected late summer; full environmental review still required (3–5 years).
    Sources: PR Newswire (Energy Fuels), The West Australian, Nikkei Asia, Skillings Mining Intelligence
    RSS Feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-mining-insider
    10 min
  • US-Iran Talks Secure Hormuz Roadmap, China Bans Rare Earth Exports to MP Materials, Pentagon Backs Energy Fuels With $725 Million, and Newmont Cadia Hit by Twin Quakes

    Episode Date: June 22, 2026 | Host: Logan Ore

    On today's Mining Insider:

    • US-Iran Switzerland talks: 60-day roadmap agreed; Hormuz communication line established; Brent at $78; VP Vance calls talks 'historic'; technical discussions continue through the week
    • China rare earth ban: 10 US entities on export control list — MP Materials and USA Rare Earth named; immediate full prohibition (upgrade from licence requirement); 46 more US firms hit by China finance ministry procurement ban
    • Energy Fuels Pentagon loan: $725M conditional 20-year senior-secured loan from DoD Office of Strategic Capital; White Mesa Mill, Blanding Utah; NdFeB magnets for F-35s and EV drivetrains; mine-to-magnet supply chain
    • Newmont Cadia: mag 3.4 + 3.2 earthquakes June 19-20; second halt in 9 weeks; no injuries, no structural damage; staged restart Sunday; Cadia = ~11% of Newmont NAV

      • Tomorrow's Flashpoint: BHP-ETU meeting June 23 — most consequential labor discussion yet; strike notice could follow this week if talks fail; $120M/day in iron ore revenue at risk.

      Sources: ProtoThema/Reuters, CNBC, India Today, InvestingLive/China MofCOM, Skillings Mining Intelligence, MarketScreener/Newmont ASX announcement

      11 min
    • Iran Closes Hormuz Again, Trump's Copper Tariff Decision Looms, and All Three BHP Port Hedland Unions Now Have Active Strike Ballots

      Episode Date: June 21, 2026 | Host: Logan Ore

      On today's Mining Insider:

      • Strait of Hormuz: Iran re-closes June 20 citing Israeli ceasefire violations; 55 merchant ships still transited per US CENTCOM; Brent at $80, 30% below March peak of $118; US-Iran talks in Switzerland; energy costs and LNG directly affecting global mining operating economics
      • Trump Copper Tariff: Commerce Department Section 232 review due end of June; phased tariff scenario 15% Jan 2027 / 30% 2028; Comex-LME premium elevated; front-running stockpile builds underway; Canadian producers positioned to benefit
      • BHP Port Hedland: AWU files FWC ballot application June 18 — third union; ETU and AMWU already voted in favor; ~250 of ~450 covered workers union members eligible to strike; 5-day notice could come as early as this week; $120M/day revenue at risk

        • Tomorrow's Flashpoint: US-Iran Switzerland talks — outcome before markets open Monday determines whether energy cost normalization continues or oil spikes again.

        Sources: Argus Media, Bloomberg/Yahoo Finance, Reuters, This Day Live, Canadian Mining Report, Fair Work Commission records

        10 min
      • Newmont's Red Chris Block Cave Gets BC Green Light, Vale and Glencore Form Sudbury Copper Partnership, Ghana Weighs Seizing Gold Fields' Biggest Mine, and Pilbara Minerals Doubles Down on Lithium

        Episode Date: June 20, 2026 | Host: Logan Ore

        On today's Mining Insider:

        • Newmont Red Chris Block Cave: BC grants Environmental Assessment Certificate and Mines Act permit; 20Moz gold + 13B lbs copper resource; several billion in capex; FID targeted late 2026; 1,800 construction jobs; mine life to mid-2040s
        • Vale Base Metals + Glencore Sudbury JV: brownfield copper project; 880,000t copper over 21 years; $1.6–$2B capex; equal-partner JV upon study completion
        • Ghana / Gold Fields Tarkwa: government weighs local-company transfer when leases expire April 2027; royalties raised to 12%; Gold Fields in active renewal discussions
        • Pilbara Minerals P2000: $175M pre-FID approved; doubles Pilgangoora to 2 Mtpa; full project $1.2B; first ore 2029; FID Q4 2026

          • Flashpoint: BHP Port Hedland — three-union ultimatum expires this weekend; five-day strike notice may follow Monday.

          Sources: Mining.com, Imperial Metals GlobeNewswire, Bloomberg / Business Insider Africa, The West Australian, Grafa/Reuters, Vale investor day filing

          11 min
        • BHP's $2.3 Billion Potash Blowout, Port Hedland Strike Ultimatum, Rio Tinto's Structural Reset, and Alamos Gold Cuts Full-Year Guidance After Mine Seismicity

          Episode Date: June 19, 2026 | Host: Logan Ore

          On today's Mining Insider:

          • BHP flags a $2.3 billion impairment on Jansen Stage 2 as costs rise to $6.9 billion — third overrun in three years; first production pushed to FY2031
          • Three unions (AWU, AMWU, ETU) issue joint final ultimatum to BHP at Port Hedland; $120M/day revenue and $7M/day WA royalties at risk
          • Rio Tinto restructures into three product groups (Iron Ore; Aluminium & Lithium; Copper) effective immediately; Borates and Iron & Titanium placed under strategic review
          • Alamos Gold cuts Q2 guidance to 130,000–135,000 oz (–12%) after seismic events at Young-Davidson; full-year production below low end of guidance

            • Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, Mining.com, The West Australian, Rio Tinto exchange announcement, Alamos Gold GlobeNewswire/SEC 6-K

            11 min
          • BHP Port Hedland Strike Widens as Third Union Joins, Oyu Tolgoi Blockade Tests Mongolia's Revenue Patience, China Hits Back at G7 Minerals Cap, and Hudbay Breaks Ground at Copper Mountain
            The Mining Insider — June 18, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.
            Today's stories:
            1. BHP Port Hedland faces a three-union strike as the AWU files a protected action ballot — joining ETU (100% vote) and AMWU (89% vote); Resources Minister Madeleine King issues a public please explain to BHP; strikebreakers reportedly recruited at up to $93/hr; BHP warns $120M/day in revenue and $7M/day in WA royalties at risk.
            2. Mongolian Radical Reform Movement blockades the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine road to China on June 17 — exports resume within 24 hours (Bloomberg); each week of blockade would cost Mongolia US$13.3M; Oyu Tolgoi contributes 9% of Mongolia's tax revenue; government holding 34% seeks renegotiation toward 60% profit share.
            3. China's Foreign Ministry calls G7's 60% concentration cap a 'small clique' move breaking international trade rules; defends State Council Decree 839 as standard international practice; urges G7 to comply with market economy principles.
            4. Hudbay Minerals commences construction on New Ingerbelle expansion at Copper Mountain, BC — mine life extended past 2040; 750,000t copper, 900,000 oz gold, 5.5M oz silver; C$11.5B BC GDP contribution; 800+ jobs; permits and community agreements secured.
            Sources: The West Australian, WSWS/AAP, Northern Miner, Bloomberg, Mining Technology, Straits Times, Reuters, IndexBox/Hudbay.
            12 min
          • Ichthys LNG Strike Ends After $200 Million in Losses, G7 Sets 60% Cap on China Mineral Imports, Simandou Rail Spur Complete, and Marathon Palladium Project Locks In CAD$769 Million
            The Mining Insider — June 17, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.
            Today's stories:
            1. Offshore Alliance and Inpex reach Enterprise Bargaining Agreement ending the Ichthys LNG strike — 400+ members endorse 3.75% annual wages, improved job security; one liquefaction train was shut down, approximately US$200M in production lost; cargo loading resumes by 6 PM AWST.
            2. G7 summit closes in Évian-les-Bains with binding commitment that no single nation supplies more than 60% of critical mineral imports by 2030; sector-specific quotas for defense manufacturers; joint recycling/mining platform; Canada-Italy graphite and lithium bilateral.
            3. Rio Tinto achieves mechanical completion of the 70-km SimFer rail spur at Simandou, Guinea — connecting Blocks 3 and 4 to the Trans-Guinean Railway; SimFer port at Morebaya 66% complete; 120 Mtpa combined project target.
            4. Generation Mining secures US$310M senior facility from EDC, ING Capital and Société Générale for Marathon copper-palladium project on Lake Superior, Ontario — total financing stack reaches CAD$769M.
            Sources: S&P Global/Platts, Bloomberg, ABC News Australia, Reuters, Canada PM Office, Skillings Mining Review, Business Wire / Generation Mining.
            12 min
          • Ichthys LNG Shutdown Now Imminent, Lobito Corridor Reopens DRC Copper Route, Collahuasi Commits US$345 Million, and Japan Proposes a G7 Joint Minerals Reserve
            The Mining Insider — June 16, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.
            Today's stories:
            1. Inpex SVP Bill Townsend confirms Ichthys LNG production disruption is 'imminent and significant'; Offshore Alliance extends strikes to July 6, threatening 2% of global LNG output and 9.3 Mtpa of exports mainly to Japan.
            2. Lobito Atlantic Railway receives the first copper train from the DRC since reopening the flood-damaged Lobito–Huambo section; the 1,300-km corridor has handled nearly 500,000 tonnes of minerals in 2026 and is a strategic lifeline for Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula complex.
            3. Collahuasi — owned by Anglo American and Glencore (44% each) and Mitsui (12%) — approves a US$345M expansion while a Chilean environmental tribunal ruling on its desalination permit remains unresolved; Anglo-Teck merger awaits China antitrust approval.
            4. Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi proposes a G7 joint stockpiling initiative — 90 days' worth of critical minerals coordinated through the IEA, with releases conditioned on companies shifting procurement away from China — at the Évian G7 summit.
            Sources: Oil Monster / Reuters, Inpex; Lobito Atlantic Railway press release; Bloomberg; BNamericas; Anglo American RNS; Japan Times; Yeni Safak / Reuters.
            11 min
          • China Locks Down 36 Strategic Minerals as Australia's Pilbara Faces Twin Strike Threats, Surge Copper's Berg Project Posts C$4.6 Billion NPV, and the G7 Opens in France
            The Mining Insider — June 15, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.
            Today's stories:
            1. China's State Council Decree 839 takes effect — 36 minerals including rare earths, lithium, cobalt, gallium and germanium formally designated as national strategic minerals under full-chain state control, with centralized mining rights, joint export review, and a three-tier reserve system.
            2. Australia's Offshore Alliance extends Ichthys LNG strikes past June 23 after FWC rejection of Inpex's suspension bid; BHP's Port Hedland maintenance workers vote 90% for strike action after six months of failed bargaining — threatening the world's largest bulk export port.
            3. Surge Copper releases Berg Pre-Feasibility Study: after-tax NPV of C$4.6 billion at 8% discount rate, 24% IRR — confirming Berg as one of Canada's most significant copper-molybdenum-silver critical minerals projects in British Columbia.
            4. G7 summit opens in Évian-les-Bains, France (June 15-17) — Trump's AI-driven bilateral mineral pricing plan faces G7 skepticism; Japan prepares Greenland rare earth delegation.
            Sources: ChemNet / Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, Reuters / Market Screener, Daily Cargo News, Mining Stock Education, Tech Times, E&E News, Straits Times.
            11 min
          • Ichthys LNG Shutdown Looms as FWC Rejects Inpex Strike Bid, Agnico Eagle Closes Finland's Ikkari Gold Deal, Rio Tinto Proves Pilbara Ore Works in Hydrogen Steelmaking, 54 Nations Build a Minerals Chain Without China
            The Mining Insider — June 14, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.
            Today's stories:
            1. Australia's Fair Work Commission rejects Inpex's bid to terminate industrial action at Ichthys LNG — facility shutdown expected June 16-17, cargo loading bans cutting ~10% of Australian LNG exports to northeast Asia.
            2. Agnico Eagle's acquisition of Rupert Resources receives final BC Supreme Court approval — deal closes June 16, adding Finland's Ikkari gold project to Agnico's northern European portfolio.
            3. Rio Tinto and China Baowu complete industrial-scale Pilbara Blend hydrogen DRI trial at Zhanjiang — first demonstration mid-grade Pilbara ore can feed hydrogen-based steelmaking at scale.
            4. 54 nations meet in Washington for critical minerals ministerial — US takes direct equity in mining companies, 2B strategic stockpile announced, permitting fast-tracked via executive orders.
            Sources: ICIS, ABC News Australia, Investing News Network, Rio Tinto Press Release, Yahoo Finance.
            12 min

          About The Mining Insider

          From the publisher's feed

          The Mining Insider - Daily Mining News & Industry Insights