Greg Watson’s Post

We need the full value chain to be green …. “China will need to enforce its own environmental standards on its global supply chains,” Forrest is quoted as saying by the newspaper during a visit to Boao, China. He further added that every buyer of nickel “needs to be really careful if they’re buying from that (Indonesian) source.” Nickel is a key ingredient that is used in electric vehicle batteries. Indonesia in February had launched a revised “taxonomy”, or green investment rulebook, categorising coal-fired power plants used in nickel facilities as part of the global transition to a green economy. Environmentalists criticised the notion of categorising the financing of new coal power plants as sustainable, pointing out that such plants are a significant source of carbon emissions. #mining #nickel #sustainability

Analyzing Cobalt Production in Southeast Asian Countries Southeast Asia has emerged as a crucial player in the global cobalt market. Let's dive into the production figures across the region. Myanmar: Myanmar stands out as a significant cobalt producer in Southeast Asia. According to the Myanmar Ministry of Mines, the country produced approximately 15,000 metric tons of cobalt in 2023, primarily sourced from the Letpadaung Copper Mine. Vietnam: Vietnam is also making strides in cobalt production. Data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam indicates a steady increase, with production reaching around 8,500 metric tons in 2023. Philippines: The Philippines has shown promising potential in cobalt production. Based on data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, the country produced approximately 12,000 metric tons of cobalt in 2023, with significant contributions from nickel mining operations in Surigao del Norte. Indonesia: Indonesia remains a key player in the cobalt market. Figures from the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources highlight robust production, estimated at 22,000 metric tons in 2023. The country's extensive nickel reserves contribute significantly to its cobalt output. Southeast Asian countries collectively produced over 57,500 metric tons of cobalt in 2023, underscoring the region's growing importance in the global supply chain. This trend is driven by increasing demand for cobalt in electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies. #Mining #Southeastasia #RenewableEnergy #EVs #DataDriven

🇮🇩 🇺🇸 "Indonesia Says US Must Invest as Critical Minerals Race Picks Up" 🇨🇳 🇵🇭 🇰🇷 (Bloomberg) -- Developed nations such as the US need to invest in countries with vast reserves of critical minerals to reduce supply chain risks as these commodities are “the new oil” driving geopolitics, according to Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pahala Mansury..... 👉 Bloomberg article: https://lnkd.in/dySJGXVZ 🎯 TA RawMaterials: https://lnkd.in/d_Np2KpZ #nickel #supplychains #criticalminerals #electricvehicles #battery #indonesia #renewables #mining #evs

Millions of tons of copper will be required for our world to achieve net-zero targets. From energy storage batteries, electric grids, EVs & electrical devices need the mineral. According to Statista, based on value China was the largest exporter of copper ore in 2022 at $23.1 billion, secondly Peru at $13.4 billion & thirdly Indonesia at $9.2 billion👇 https://lnkd.in/ghyPc6XT. Yet the mining industry faces challenges like any other industry. Every industry faces challenges given a situation. While the net-zero transition begins economic growth is important & we can see a growth in green jobs as well. From precision farming to the energy sector, by 2030 we could see a rapid rise. The International Labour Organization brings an insightful read "The Just Ecological Transition: An ILO solution for creating 100 million jobs by 2030"👇 https://lnkd.in/gb29E4Bd #copper #evs #energystorage #sustainability #esg #netzero #cop28uae #greenjobs #economics

The US-China competition over critical minerals of key importance to the Green Transition increased a notch over the weekend, as new US guidelines will exclude mining companies judged to have a too-high level of ownership by China or other hostile states will be barred from receiving US subsidies. New US draft guidelines for the distribution of subsidies available under the Inflation Reduction Act will mean that key mining firms producing lithium in Australia or nickel in Indonesia may not receive them, as they will be treated as 'entities of concern' if they are more than 25% owned by Chinese entities. These guidelines will be globally applicable and will also affect firms extracting other critical minerals in the Global South. They represent another move in ongoing US attempts to exclude hostile actors from its critical mineral supply chains, while reorienting such supply chains toward the United States. #usa #china #criticalminerals #australia #lithium #indonesia #nickel #greentransition #greatpowercompetition #supplychains #inflationreductionact #subsidies #geopoliticalrisk https://lnkd.in/eprQbtFv

"Korea's LX International buys Indonesian nickel miner for $100 mn" 🇰🇷 🇮🇩 The trading firm is accelerating investments in battery materials and renewable energy supply. South Korean trading firm LX International Corp. said on Tuesday that it has acquired a 60% stake in Indonesian miner PT Adhi Kartiko Pratama (AKP) for 132.9 billion won ($99.8 million) to secure key minerals for secondary batteries. The trading firm, a unit of Korean logistics conglomerate LX Group, has recently established an Indonesian subsidiary with a 135.4 billion won investment. The company said in its Jan. 16 regulatory filings that it has completed the deal through the new entity in the Southeast Asian country. LX International will secure the entire resources from PT AKP’s mines, which have reserves of 36 million tons of mineable nickel. The volume of the mineral can be used in batteries for 7 million electric vehicles, the trading firm said. ... https://lnkd.in/ddGgQfVr

Indonesia adjusts its laws relating to its exports of its minerals resources in raw form across the 3,500klm width of the Indonesia archipelago, to boost its successes in regulating coal, to nickel and tin, to drive downstream value adding processing of raw minerals, for the investment gains to benefit growth across the whole, domestic economic sector. While, by comparison, Australia neglects its raw resources that are simply dug out and shipped, to finance non-prodtuctive economic investment and inflationary growth in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne’s elite political sectors, at the expense of the productive growth in the regions. Unfortunately, all political Parties in Australia, have policies embedding useless “renewables” imported from the CCP’s China, into our national energy mix, a policy that destroys our national, firm energy security, by adding unaffordable and inflationary costs on energy consumers, who in turn, direct their economic growth investments elsewhere, most often, overseas where returns are not so insecure.

𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗶 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗺𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝗖𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗯 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗷𝗶𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 After the meeting, it was announced that Chinese state-owned China Pingmei Shenma Holding Group Co. intends to implement coal #mining and processing initiatives at the Shurob coalfield. The high-level meeting underscored the commitment of both nations to deepen their strategic economic cooperation, a goal championed by Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon and #China's Chairman Xi Jinping. Minister Zavkizoda emphasized the significant opportunities for foreign investment in #Tajikistan, particularly in free economic zones that offer favorable tax incentives and streamlined administrative procedures. During the discussions, Minister Zavkizoda highlighted investment prospects in key sectors such as coal and gas mining, solar panel production, metallurgy, thermal power plants, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. He encouraged China Pingmei Shenma Holding Group to explore these opportunities, emphasizing the country's conducive environment for industrial enterprise development. The meeting also discussed ongoing co-operation projects, including the construction of solar power plants by China Pingmei Shenma Holding Group in Pyanj and Dangara free economic zones. The company has also launched a $60 million project to mine and process coal at Shurob, with an annual production capacity of 1 million tonnes to be processed into chemical products. A key outcome of the meeting was the signing of an agreement between Talant LLC and China Pingmei Shenma Holding Group, focusing on investment cooperation for mining activities at the Shurob coal deposit. China Pingmei Shenma Holding Group Co. is a leading player in China's #coal and #chemical industries, known for its sustainable practices and advanced technologies. The corporation's expertise in thermal and coking coal extraction and chemical production. https://lnkd.in/dDCphmdZ

Ditching Chinese critical minerals means 'much slower energy transition,' warns WoodMac US and EU have been pushing to develop their own critical mineral supply chains to boost energy security, but new report calls for economic 'pragmatism' in face of geopolitical concerns Summary: The push by the US and EU to develop independent critical mineral supply chains, particularly for copper, as part of a strategy to reduce reliance on China, could significantly slow down the global energy transition, according to a report by Wood Mackenzie. China currently dominates copper mining, processing, and semi-manufacturing, and demand for copper is expected to surge by 75% by 2050 due to its critical role in electrification. The report warns that protectionist measures aiming to secure raw materials for geopolitical reasons conflict with market economics and could lead to substantial delays in achieving energy transition goals. To replace Chinese dominance in the copper supply chain, an estimated $85 billion in new smelting and refining capacity would be required globally. However, WoodMac argues that such a shift would be highly challenging due to China's substantial investments and control over global smelting and refining capacity, which currently accounts for 97% of the market. The US and EU's efforts to diversify away from Chinese supply, including legislation like the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act and the US's critical mineral strategy, face significant hurdles. These initiatives may lead to higher costs and inefficiencies in the supply chain, making the energy transition more expensive and slower unless there is a dramatic improvement in how capital is deployed and operations are managed outside China. #CriticalMinerals #EnergyTransition #CopperSupplyChain #Geopolitics #ChinaDominance https://lnkd.in/gqZTs89R

In this year's #MiningIndaba2024, I hope the opportunity is seized for a shift in our industry discussions to move beyond traditional mining and distribution towards creating transformative strategic partnerships. The potential for establishing a battery manufacturing plant in Zambia (one of Africa's most stable countries)—similar to what Indonesia did, has a massive upside. https://lnkd.in/eu73HhU5 Zambia and its neighbours are rich in the raw materials essential for battery production. This geographical advantage secures a consistent material supply and drastically cuts long-distance transport's environmental toll. And potentially a future where these batteries are not only exported worldwide but also offered at subsidised rates locally to support the import and integration of solar technology. Consider the impact of a 15-year strategic partnership to develop a solar power plant in Zambia inspired by China’s remarkable achievement of generating 1.2 trillion kWh from solar energy last year. Replicating a (scaled) initiative could catalyse a manufacturing boom in Zambia, encouraging the importing of necessary raw materials from neighbouring countries and the markets receiving Zambian-exported EV batteries. This would be a more sustainable and mutually enriching ecosystem that leverages strategic partnerships for collective advancement and sustainability.. where these alliances would still drive growth and development in the mining sector. #SustainableMining #GreenEnergy But this is just me hoping.