Congo Endorses Partnership to Revitalize Key Railway for Mineral Exports to Western Markets

According to foreign media reports, JSE-listed copper producer Copper 360 has reached a major milestone in its $50 million underground development program at the Rietberg mine in South Africa's Northern Cape. Underground excavation has successfully passed the halfway mark of its 544-meter development target, setting the company on track to intersect its primary ore body on the 300 Level within the next 90 days. This progress marks a strategic shift for the mine as it transitions from capital-intensive waste development into revenue-generating hard-rock mining. Reaching the ore block will provide an immediate feed of copper-bearing material directly to the upgraded Modular Flotation Plant 2 (MFP2). The alignment between underground production and processing capacity is expected to ramp run-of-mine output up to approximately 700 tonnes per day, fully utilizing the plant's installed capacity and delivering higher feed grades alongside improved recoveries. To secure long-term operational flexibility, the company plans to concurrently extend the underground haulage decline down to the 350 Level. This move will open additional mining areas and support a sustained long-term production profile beyond the initial ramp-up phase. Investors responded enthusiastically to the development, driving Copper 360’s shares up by more than 10% on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange following the operational update. The project reinforces the company's efforts to establish a fully integrated copper production footprint in the region.

During Freeport-McMoRan’s Q2 earnings call, the company disclosed that the block cave underground project resumption of production at the Grasberg mine in Indonesia is progressing in line with expectations, with ramp-up at Production Block 2 and Block 3 proceeding according to the plan formulated in April. Production at Grasberg was partially suspended earlier due to the September 2025 wet ore inflow incident in the underground mine, after which the company initiated cleaning, repairs, and phased production resumptions. According to Freeport, repair work at the Grasberg Block Cave was completed in Q1 2026, and production resumption ramp-up began in March, reaching planned operating levels in Q2. The company currently expects Grasberg capacity to recover to approximately 65% in H2 2026, further improve to around 80% by mid-2027, and plans to approach full capacity by the end of 2027. On production, Freeport expects the Grasberg mine to produce a cumulative total of approximately 6.8 billion pounds of copper from 2026 to 2030, averaging about 1.4 billion pounds per year. Copper production is expected to rebound significantly after 2027 as the Block Cave capacity gradually resumes. Additionally, Freeport noted that Grasberg still has expansion potential, with the Kucing Liar project under development. Ramp-up is expected to begin around 2030, with an expected incremental copper capacity addition of 750 million pounds per year once full production is achieved.

In H1 2026, China’s sulphur market experienced a full transmission chain of “import collapse – output pressure – export stagnation”. Key figures: Production: National sulphuric acid output in January–May fell 1.6% y‑o‑y, with significant declines in traditional phosphate fertiliser producing provinces like Hubei, Guizhou, and Yunnan, while Anhui and other smelter‑acid‑concentrated regions saw growth. Exports: Sulphuric acid exports practically halted in June......