Industrial Minerals

Supply Developments

• TIMELINE: BHP’s PotashCorp bid 08 September 2010

  The progression of BHP’s swoop to acquire the world’s largest potash producer Read More

• Foosung in lithium supply search 08 September 2010

  LITHIUM ASIA: South Korean electrolyte producer builds three new plants in China Read More

• Lithium not a commodity – Galaxy 08 September 2010

  LITHIUM ASIA: CEO says there is more to lithium than the cheapest production cost Read More

• Arianne creates phosphate subsidiary 08 September 2010

  Arianne Resources creates Canada Phosphate Inc. to focus on its phosphate asset Read More

• Galaxy eyes EV grade lithium 07 September 2010

  Group to market 99.9%-grade lithium carbonate to electric vehicle manufacturers Read More

• Vale’s $12bn fertiliser plans 07 September 2010

  Brazilian miner outlines investment scale; forms new fertiliser company Read More

• Lynas boosts rare earth resource 06 September 2010

  Duncan deposit adds heavy rare earth reserves to Mount Weld, Australia, project Read More

• Chinese soda ash prices uptick 06 September 2010

  Domestic producers look to cover increased power costs as margins are squeezed Read More

• Ivory Coast eyes talc production 06 September 2010

  IB Trading aims to start talc production in Ivory Coast with a 15,000 tpa capacity Read More

• Uyuni lithium deal not binding 03 September 2010

  Comibol says Bolivia lithium tie-up with S. Korea keeps source in state’s hands Read More

• India probes soda ash dumping 03 September 2010

  Government investigates alleged dumping during 2009 to protect domestic producers Read More

• China blocks zircon imports 03 September 2010

  New rules block some imports of zircon sand on grounds of radioactive content Read More

• Rio in new look for talc buyer 03 September 2010

  Rio Tinto re-launches search for potential suitors; says “under no pressure to divest” Read More

• SPOTLIGHT: Potash top 10 02 September 2010

  M&A set to shake up the potash industry; Europe and Canada dominate production Read More

• AMG secures antimony source 02 September 2010

  Turkish mining rights signed up to ensure trioxide supply for flame retardants Read More

• Antimony ore in short supply 02 September 2010

  Prices hold up at higher levels as buyers play it cautiously in the marketplace Read More

• Potash ‘not M&A immune’ 02 September 2010

  Uralkali says potash will not avoid M&A; Belarusian Potash Co. talks up prices Read More

• Gulf invests in Malagasy limestone 02 September 2010

  Gulf acquires rights to Soalara limestone in Madagascar; production to start in 2012 Read More

• Elmin to expand Greek bauxite 02 September 2010

  Elmin finalises licensing for option to expand bauxite production to 1.1m. tpa Read More

• Nordic anorthosite suffers in Q2 01 September 2010

  Norwegian group affected by construction downturn; lithium, rutile projects proceed Read More

• Uralkali ups potash utilisation 01 September 2010

  Russian potash miner increases production rates at its Berezniki mines Read More

• Antam alumina plant open by 2013 01 September 2010

  Construction of 300,000 tpa chemical alumina plant to begin January 2011 Read More

• Bentonite boosts S&B profits 31 August 2010

  Greek bentonite and flux producer reports 55% increase; bauxite delays continue Read More

• Australia-China potash linkup 31 August 2010

  Potash developer Sirius inks MOU with Sino-Agri on Queensland project funding Read More

• Serbian boron exploration 31 August 2010

  Erin Ventures secures three-year exploration licence for Piskanja boron deposit Read More

• Kenya Fluorspar restarts mine 31 August 2010

  Kerio Valley’s year-and-a-half hiatus over after uptick in acidspar demand Read More

• Going where the grass is greener 27 August 2010

  COMMENT: Why are the big mining groups, like BHP, focusing on potash? And why now? Read More

• Bolivia-Korea lithium deal 27 August 2010

  How the Uyuni deal was made last year despite Morales lithium road show Read More

• Gulf starts new bromine plant 26 August 2010

  Chinese producer takes advantage of supply shortages; bromine rises to $2,800/tonne Read More

• Nabaltec posts record Q2 sales 26 August 2010

  Fillers and ceramics boost speciality alumina producer’s results; plans new ATH plant Read More

• Sinochem shapes for Potash bid 26 August 2010

  China takes offshore loan as it prepares to battle with BHP for PotashCorp Read More

• Japan taps Indian rare earths 26 August 2010

  Toyota Tsusho strikes deal with Indian Rare Earths for Orissa state processing plant Read More

• Penrice Soda profits down 26 August 2010

  Penrice Soda looks to soda ash recovery and targets mineral processing contracts Read More

• BHP: Rival Potash bid unlikely 25 August 2010

  Marius Kloppers says PotashCorp is poor fit for takeover by a non-miner Read More

• China rebate cut: mineral impact 24 August 2010

  Producers respond to government’s plans to reduce industry overcapacity Read More

• Industrial Minerals Prices September 2010 September 2010

  Read More

• Price Briefing September 2010 September 2010

  Zircon shifts upwards; rare earths climb; titanium dioxide pushes up Read More

• Supply Situation Report: Mullite September 2010

  Supply, demand and consumption trends in the mullite industry Read More

• Kaolin consolidation continues with Imerys stake in PPSA September 2010

  French kaolin giant continues dominance of industry with Brazilian buy Read More

• Pressure grows on Obama’s drilling ban September 2010

  Oil rig exodus fears grow in Gulf of Mexico as Obama's drilling ban costs 800,000 tonnes in barytes demand Read More

• Almatis drops Oaktree plan for DIC debt proposal September 2010

  New Chapter 11 filing likely as speciality alumina producer enters new debt deal with parent group DIC Read More

• Oman mineral port for 2012 September 2010

  Sohar Industrial Port Co.'s new minerals port throws Oman's trade doors wide open Read More

• Magnesita expands DBM capacity with improved H1 2010 results September 2010

  Dead burned magnesite expansion at Brazilian producer boosted by H1 2010 results Read More

• BHP takes PotashCorp plunge with $39bn bid September 2010

  World's biggest miner in drastic swings towards non-metals with multi-billion bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Read More

• Chile to end lithium mine ban 23 August 2010

  Government willing to end blanket ban on new lithium mines and open up Atacama Read More

• PotashCorp tries to spark bid war 23 August 2010

  Rio Tinto, Vale, Sinochem rumours strengthen on back of BHP Billiton offer Read More

• SiC Processing expands in China 20 August 2010

  German recycled SiC slurry processor expands Baoding plant for solar market Read More

• BHP goes hostile on PotashCorp 18 August 2010

  World’s biggest miner goes to PotashCorp shareholders after $39bn. bid rejected Read More

• Antimony drives USAC profit 17 August 2010

  US Antimony Corp. recovers from loss in Q2 as antimony and zeolite sales bounce Read More

• PotashCorp rejects $39bn. BHP bid 17 August 2010

  World’s largest potash producer said it has rejected a takeover bid by BHP Billiton Read More

• Magnesita DBM expansion 17 August 2010

  Brazil’s magnesia refractories group posts Q2 2010 earnings rise and investment plans Read More

• Styromag new magnesia kiln 17 August 2010

  Austrian caustic calcined magnesia producer to install Herreshoff kiln in 2011 Read More

• Russian potash merger likely 16 August 2010

  Acquisition of Silvinit shares paves way for Kerimov-backed Uralkali merger – report Read More

• Rare earth group adds 3 members 16 August 2010

  Lynas one of new additions to US trade association and government lobbyists, USMMA Read More

• Congo potash resource expanded 13 August 2010

  MagIndustries estimates 1.7bn. tonne fertiliser resource at its Makola deposit Read More

• QMAG magnesia project on track 13 August 2010

  Australian magnesia producer’s capacity expansion scheduled for Sept. completion Read More

• BHP set to market own potash 13 August 2010

  Miner leans away from North American trend of using agent, Canpotex, for Jansen potash Read More

• Tasmania magnesite source OK 12 August 2010

  Beacon Hill gets green light for new source; magnesia plant planned Read More

• K+S profit up on potash sales 12 August 2010

  Recovering fertiliser demand and salt consolidation drive eight-fold Q2 profit boost Read More

• GWMG secures rare earth off-take 11 August 2010

  RareCo to sell 100% of South African production to Great Western Minerals Read More

• China’s energy clampdown 11 August 2010

  Government orders over 2,000 companies to close inefficient industrial plants Read More

• Li3 Energy buys iodine deposit 11 August 2010

  Lithium developer eyes synergies with nitrates and iodine prospects in Chile Read More

• IMA-NA launches kaolin group 10 August 2010

  Active Minerals, Imerys, Unimin and US Silica form North American trade group Read More

• Chinese rare earths pricing deal 10 August 2010

  Baotou Steel and Jiangxi Copper agree pricing mechanism for light rare earths Read More

• ShengdaTech boosts NPCC output 10 August 2010

  Expansion fuels Chinese nano-precipitated calcium carbonate producer’s H1 profit Read More

• Chile lithium pressure rises 09 August 2010

  Ban on new lithium mines under fire as world looks for more production from Chile Read More

• SiC Processing plant in China 06 August 2010

  German SiC slurry recycler to build plant in Zhenjiang to meet photovoltaic demand Read More

• RT Alcan sells aluminas plant 05 August 2010

  Activated aluminas site in Brockville, Canada, sold to France’s Axens Read More

• H1 boost for Rio Tinto Minerals 05 August 2010

  Talc and borates producer’s profits rise 37% as global demand continues recovery Read More

• Baotou Rare Earth expands south 04 August 2010

  World’s largest rare earth producer invests in Jiangxi to expand reserves – report Read More

• Mosaic to close phosphate mine 04 August 2010

  Phosphate miner to close Florida mine by mid-September following US court injunction Read More

• China alumina: “Bust in 5 years” 04 August 2010

  Rising costs & lower qualities could see China lose alumina dominance - supplier Read More

• FMC in new lithium search 03 August 2010

  CLARIFICATION: FMC looks for new lithium source to prepare for next growth phase Read More

• Imerys strengthens kaolin base 02 August 2010

  UPDATE: French group gains crucial reserves in Brazil with Vale acquisition Read More

• Refractory bauxite source nears 02 August 2010

  Guyana set for a new refractory bauxite mine as First Bauxite completes FS Read More

• Vale's Q2 profits rocket 02 August 2010

  Brazilian mining major back on track; kaolin and potash production recovers Read More

• Court halts Mosaic expansion 02 August 2010

  Environmental concerns delay phosphate expansion at South Fort Meade, Florida Read More

• Imerys buys Vale kaolin asset 30 July 2010

  Majority stake in Para Pigmentos acquired for $70m. as Imerys expands in Brazil Read More

• Imerys Q2 profit rises 88% 30 July 2010

  Upturn in refractories, abrasives, graphite demand boosts results for French group Read More

• MTI sees five-fold profits boost 30 July 2010

  Minerals Technologies reports stronger Q2 on refractories, PCC sales recovery Read More