[SMM Flash de Cromo] La prórroga del plazo para la minería artesanal en Zimbabue llega mientras el cromo figura en un nuevo recuento de contrabando

Zimbabwe's Midlands Province attracted US$108 million in investment during the second quarter of 2026, spanning cement, fertiliser and energy projects, according to Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube, speaking at a business conference in Gweru. Ncube said the inflows, drawn from both domestic and foreign investors, reflect the province turning mineral wealth into factories, jobs and power rather than continuing to export raw materials, framing the investment within Zimbabwe's Vision 2030 industrialization agenda. The energy component of the package is the most directly relevant to the chrome sector: new captive solar and thermal power plants are being built specifically to supply high-energy industrial consumers, with ferrochrome processing plants singled out as a priority beneficiary. Midlands hosts several of Zimbabwe's major ferrochrome producers, and unreliable, costly grid power has been a persistent constraint on smelter operations nationally. Ncube said the new capacity is intended to give manufacturers fewer outages, lower costs and the ability to plan production around a consistent energy supply, addressing what he described as one of industrialization's longstanding bottlenecks. The energy and ferrochrome angle sat alongside a broader beneficiation narrative in the announcement, with Ncube also citing Dinson Iron and Steel's investment in Manhize and lithium processing commitments from Zheli Lithium and Sandawana Mines in Chirumanzu, Zvishavane and Mberengwa as evidence of the province moving up the value chain. Investors quoted at the conference, including businessman Dr. Tinashe Manzungu, pointed to policy consistency and political stability, including the Presidential assent to Constitutional Amendment Act Number 3 of 2026, as key factors underpinning the inflows, with Manzungu suggesting the current environment could support a further US$500 million in investment. The ministerial announcement did not break out how much of the US$108 million was allocated specifically to ferrochrome-related power capacity versus the province's other cement and fertilizer projects, leaving the scale of the direct benefit to smelters still to be clarified as individual projects come online.

[SMM Flash] La República Democrática del Congo está reforzando el control estatal sobre la información geológica mientras desarrolla un banco de datos nacional que abarca minerales críticos como el tantalio, el cobalto, el cobre, el litio y el oro. El servicio geológico del país declaró a Reuters que la exploración sistemática cubre actualmente solo alrededor del 20 % de la RDC, mientras que un programa de cartografía aérea de 180 millones de dólares con la española Xcalibur está inspeccionando más de 700.000 km². Se espera que el banco de datos geológicos nacional esté plenamente operativo a finales de 2026. Se prevé que la información geológica básica siga siendo de libre acceso, mientras que los conjuntos de datos más sensibles estarán sujetos a un acceso controlado y de pago. La iniciativa no modifica directamente la producción actual de coltán, pero una mejor inteligencia geológica podría influir en el destino futuro del capital de exploración de tantalio y reforzar la posición negociadora de Kinsasa ante nuevos descubrimientos. El impacto en la oferta real dependerá de si los objetivos cartografiados avanzan a través de la exploración, la financiación y el desarrollo minero.

[Revisión diaria del precio del ADC12: el spot de ADC12 se consolida con firmeza, los futuros rebotan tras abrir a la baja] Hoy, las cotizaciones del mercado de ADC12 se consolidaron con firmeza en general. El precio SMM del ADC12 subió 50 yuanes/tm respecto al día anterior, hasta 24.350 yuanes/tm.