Rio Tinto Reportedly in Talks with Vitol on Freight and Logistics Joint Venture

[SMM Flash] On June 26, the 100,000 mt copper cathode smart electrolysis project of Anhui Youjin Guanhua New Material Technology Co., Ltd. officially commenced production and yielded copper. According to SMM, the project is located in Guichi District, Chizhou city, Anhui province, with a total investment of approximately 835 million yuan. Currently, the company's monthly copper cathode production is about 10,000 mt, and once commissioned, the project will bring a certain increase to regional copper cathode supply.

Nigeria has announced the discovery of a new polymetallic mineral province in Kaduna State containing copper, nickel, lithium, rare earth elements, platinum group metals and gold, describing it as one of the country's most significant critical minerals discoveries in recent years. The discovery was made by Steron Mining in collaboration with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA). At the same time, Steron Mining reported approximately 3.3 million tonnes of lithium reserves at its Abuja project, with total mineral resources estimated at 94.8 million tonnes. The Nigerian government said it will continue promoting domestic mineral processing and value-added development to strengthen its position in the global critical minerals supply chain. That infrastructure, power supply and regulatory challenges remain key factors affecting future project development.

Anglo American and Chile's state-owned miner Codelco have completed a definitive agreement to integrate the mine plans for the adjacent Los Bronces and Andina copper operations after receiving all required regulatory approvals. The joint mine plan is expected to deliver an additional 2.7 million tonnes of copper between 2030 and 2051, generating more than US$5 billion in pre-tax net present value, with benefits shared equally by both companies.