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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.
Diamond drilling remains the main bridge between exploration capital and a potentially mineable deposit. Mining exploration is attracting capital again, but the funding is moving selectively.…
The energy transition is increasing demand for critical minerals faster than many new mines, refineries and recycling facilities can be developed. The immediate risk is not…
Large-scale copper infrastructure illustrates why miners are pursuing operational scale and supply security. Mining M&A has entered a more selective phase. Copper and gold are attracting…
Freshly cast silver bullion at an industrial refining facility. Silver enters 2026 with a supportive physical-market backdrop but a less certain macroeconomic outlook. The Silver Institute…
Mining ESG compliance is moving from sustainability reporting into the critical path for mine approvals, financing and operating continuity. For operators, the key question is no…
An ultra-class haul truck equipped with telemetry systems operates on a mine road. Autonomous mining technology is moving from isolated pilot projects into core production systems,…
Indonesia’s integrated nickel industry is entering a period of tighter ore availability and greater policy control. Indonesia’s decision to reduce its 2026 nickel ore quota has…
Lithium prices are entering 2026 with a market that is no longer defined by clear oversupply. Demand from electric vehicles and battery energy storage is accelerating,…
Critical-minerals security is increasingly determined by processing capacity, trade policy and supply-chain control rather than geology alone. The critical minerals race is moving from mine development…
Copper enters 2026 with an unusually wide gap between market signals. Prices are near record levels, inventories are concentrated in the United States, and treatment charges…
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