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Charles Pitts is the publisher of Skillings Mining Review, the trade journal that has covered mining since 1912. He writes on the macro forces behind metal prices: commodity cycles, sovereign capital and the shifting sources of demand. His current work argues that hyperscale AI, and the gigawatt-scale power its data centres need, is becoming a buyer of lithium and copper in its own right, competing with the automotive supply chain for tier-one reserves.
Chile’s refining milestone is concentrated in lithium hydroxide, not the country’s entire critical-minerals processing base. Chile is entering 2026 with a significant expansion in critical-minerals processing,…
PERTH : Kalamazoo Resources has reported exceptional new assay results from its flagship Mt Olympus gold project in Western Australia's Ashburton region, highlighted by a standout…
Jakarta authorities have initiated a gradual clearance of delayed mineral shipments from key processing hubs across Sulawesi, Bangka Belitung, and West Kalimantan, easing a weeks-long administrative…
Chile’s copper output fell to 403,424 tonnes in July, the weakest July result in the national data series since 2011. Chile’s copper production fell to its…
Sandvik’s Sami concept moves autonomous mining technology 2026 beyond driverless haulage and toward a more complete vision of the crewless surface mine. The fully autonomous, battery-electric…
High-voltage grid infrastructure is becoming a more visible source of copper demand. Copper’s 2026 outlook is being shaped by a contest between two forces: a slower…
Industrial processing infrastructure illustrates the midstream capacity targeted by Project Dynamo. The U.S. government’s role in rare-earth financing is moving beyond broad policy commitments and toward…
Modern mine infrastructure highlights the supply constraints shaping the silver outlook. Silver’s 2026 outlook is being pulled in two directions. A persistent market deficit, limited mine-supply…
Copper operations and exploration ground in Chile’s Atacama Region. Mining M&A deals 2026 are increasingly focused on strategic fit rather than headline scale. Recent transactions show…
Mining M&A has moved into a more selective phase in 2026. Buyers are still pursuing copper, gold, aluminum and other critical-minerals assets, but the market is…
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