focusIR May 2024 Investor Webinar: Blue Whale, Kavango, Taseko Mines & CQS Natural Resources. Catch up with the webinar here.
Https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-03-26/chinese-miners-zijin-cmoc-group-eye-overseas-deals-as-battery-metals-slump?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=twitter&embedded-checkout=true
Battery metal prices are on the floor, and massive expansions by Chinese miners have been instrumental in driving them lower. Now, with many Western rivals cutting output or shutting down entirely, they want to get even bigger.
Zijin Mining Group Co., China’s most valuable producer, said this week it’s planning acquisitions of “ultra-large mines or mining companies with global influence” to boost business in lithium and other metals.
CMOC Group, which last year overtook Glencore as the world’s top cobalt producer, said the return of “rational” pricing in battery metals opened a window for global acquisitions. Attention will now turn to what Tianqi Lithium Corp. and Ganfeng Lithium Corp., which report results in coming days, say on the matter.
The miners’ opportunistic growth plans should give pause to traders, investors and rival producers hoping for an imminent rebound in battery-metal prices. They also may add to the alarms in Western capitals about China’s stranglehold on many critical minerals.
Even with landmark spending packages rolled out by the US and European Union, there’s a strong chance China’s dominance in cobalt, nickel and lithium will be greater in a few years. Tsingshan Holding Group Co., the world’s top nickel producer, is also pushing ahead with expansion.
Zijin, for one, expects resistance. Chairman Chen Jinghe said the company “will be targeted for sure” as geopolitical tensions become “increasingly grim.”
Even so, these are raw materials that will be needed in ever-greater volumes as the energy transition gathers pace, regardless of who mines them.
https://www.fool.co.uk/2023/03/14/4-small-cap-stocks-im-considering-buying-for-my-stocks-shares-isa/
Soaring demand for electric vehicles (EVs) provides exceptional opportunities for UK share investors. Analysts at Goldman Sachs think sales of these low-carbon vehicles will soar to 73m by 2040, from just 2m in 2020.
Buying lithium stocks like Kodal Minerals could be a good idea for the coming years. This particular miner is developing the Bougouni lithium asset in Mali which contains an estimated 21.3 million tonnes of the silvery metal.
Kodal is well financed up until the start of production at Bougani. But remember that the business still carries risk for investors. Development setbacks at the mine could have a negative impact on earnings forecasts and, consequently, the small-cap’s share price
https://maliactu.net/pdac-2023-le-mali-reste-une-destination-sure-pour-les-investisseurs-miniers/amp/
Taking the floor, the Minister Traoré recalled that Mali is an old democratic nation where the first charter of human rights was born, the best known of which is the Kourankanfouga charter.
He recalled that the current situation of the country is characterized by the will of the High Authorities of the Transition to carry out the reforms essential to the definitive return of stability and to the improvement of the living conditions of the populations.
Speaking of mineral resources, in addition to gold, Mali is full of several other mineral resources in large quantities including lithium, a critical mineral, much sought after today for the manufacture of batteries for solar energy, the Minister said.
To this end, Mali has one of the largest lithium mines being installed in the locality of Bougouni and whose production will begin very soon.
Today, the vision of the authorities who have initiated reforms in the sector is to ensure that the State, the populations and the companies benefit from mining.
The mining code places an emphasis on local content in order to allow the State and the population to benefit more from the country's mineral resources.
Already, gold contributes a lot to the economy of our country with more than 25% contribution to the national budget, 75% of export earnings and 10% of GDP, recalled the Minister of Mines, Energy and Water.
In 2022, gold production was 72.2 tons, including 6 tons for artisanal gold panning. This increasing trend is expected to continue in 2023, as evidenced by B2GOLD in its presentation during the event.
Minister TRAORE explained that Mali is and remains a land of welcome for investors. All the reforms carried out or in progress in the mining sector have the ultimate objective of reconciling the interests of the beneficiaries who are the State, the populations and the companies.
Interests that are not contradictory, said the Minister.
He recalled the ongoing efforts and results obtained in the context of securing the entire territory, emphasizing that the mining areas remain unaffected by insecurity, contrary to the image conveyed by certain media.
For Minister TRAORE, Mali remains a safe destination for investors and the State is doing everything possible to preserve their investments.
https://www.agenceecofin.com/metaux/0603-106171-mali-msalabs-met-en-service-un-laboratoire-au-profit-des-mines-d-or-et-de-lithium-dans-le-sud
(Ecofin Agency) - Southern Mali is home to the largest gold mines in the country. The region will soon become one of the largest lithium production areas in Africa, with the commissioning of the Goulamina and Bougouni mines.
MSALABS, a Canadian-based provider of geochemical laboratory services for the mining industry, announced on Monday, March 6, the entry into service of a new laboratory in Mali. This facility, whose construction was completed in the third quarter of 2022, is based on the future Bougouni lithium mine and will support other gold and lithium operations located in southern Mali.
According to MSALABS, the first samples from the future Goulamina lithium mine should arrive at the laboratory in the coming days. It should be noted that this type of on-site laboratory saves valuable time in the development of mining projects by reducing the time to obtain results compared to laboratories located abroad.
https://twitter.com/JessicaDAmir/status/1622797622733049856?t=2votwmUbdvVrxEbKW6K-dA&s=19
And other possible deals further down the line.
"Kodal will be looking to complete an off-take agreement for the amount of product that it is free to sell outside of existing arrangements and will also review the potential to become involved in downstream processing to enhance the value of the product if viable."
Yeah, I don't think interviewing is Robs strong point but at least we got to hear from the main man.
No comment your honour...
Here is another for you:
https://omny.fm/shows/dig-deep-the-mining-podcast/an-update-on-kodal-minerals-and-the-future-of-lith
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/chinas-strategic-inroads-in-african-sahel-region/articleshow/96937105.cms
"As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked in 2021, China provided Mali with more than $9 million worth of military equipment, including weapons, ammunition, trucks, transport equipment and security. Same year China's Ganfeng Lithium Co bought 50 per cent stakes of the Goulamina mine for $130 million reflecting its ambition to ensure the supply of a critical commodity essential for manufacturing electric-vehicle batteries. Besides, China was also awarded two significant railway projects worth over $11 billion by Mali"
https://www.ft.com/content/46bf21a4-e626-4581-ad85-8b74bbd82e4e
"That will help Saudi Arabia, which is the world’s second-largest oil producer, to secure resources such as iron ore, copper, nickel and lithium for domestic mineral processing and other industrial activities like steelmaking."
https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/tesla-cost-inflation-lithium-supplier-deal/639798/
https://malijet.co/economie/minerais-de-transition-energetique-pcqvp-mali-sensibilise-sur-les-enjeux
"Mali is preparing to launch a lithium production project in Bougouni"
https://www.ft.com/content/7ca99f9f-3b67-489a-a83c-477b6b12764e?shareType=nongift
https://www.mining-technology.com/analysis/supply-base-lithium-growth/
https://www.yuantalks.com/chinas-ganfeng-lithium-to-by-argentinas-lithea-for-962-million/