Resources

  Dear MMTA Members and colleagues, Welcome to your September and LME Week edition of the MMTA’s magazine, The Crucible. LME Week 2024 The LME Week 2024 kicks off on…

EVs drive demand Annual global lithium-ion battery demand is expected to sur-pass 1 TWh (1,000 GWh) for the first time this year. Demon-strating the scale of growth in this sector,…

MMTA member Molymet, a major molybdenum processor and the world’s largest producer of rhenium, with headquarters in San Bernardo, Chile has launched production of highly spheroidised powders of rhenium, molybdenum…

View from North America   Dear MMTA Members, Good afternoon from Cleveland Heights, Ohio this Labor Day. And it is quite stunning weather here: sun shining, not too hot and…

There has been a noticeable uptick in interest in niobium of late. In our view, this is worth pondering. Niobium is a rarely used metal, with annual consumption amounting to…

S&P Global Commodity Insights dives into the impact of the recent US and UK government sanctions on Russian-origin metal in the nickel market. In April 2024, the US and UK…

  Dear Members, Before moving on, in my next piece, to such topics as space mining and ion propulsion drives, I thought it would be fun to take a brief…

The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act was published today in the Official Journal of the European Commission and comes in to force on 23 May. Read the full text…

The European Commission’s Trade Contact Group (TCG) met on 7 March and : i) discussed potential scenarios that may occur under new EU customs rules (if adopted); ii)(ii) updated the…

Proposed EU Customs Reform Significantly Changes Approach to Customs Checks and Processes   On May 17, 2023, the European Commission (Commission) presented a landmark proposal for the most ambitious reform…

 ILiA publishes the first guidance to determine the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of lithium products In this article, first published in its magazine, The Lithium Voice, the International Lithium Association…

What the shipping industry should be aware of The European Union’s 12th package of sanctions against Rus-sia has come into force on 19 February 2024, following adop-tion by the European…

In this section we bring you the latest briefings from our partner association, the CRM Alliance on legislative developments in the European union that impact of critical raw material  industries…

Fastmarkets has relaunched rare earth prices and coverage after a pause of several years. The Crucible asked Strategic Markets Editor for Technology Metals, Caroline Messecar, to talk about why a…

A beginner’s guide for minor metals professionals In a recent CarbonChain-MMTA webinar, we dived deep into the world of carbon reporting for minor metals. Here, Julie Sandilands, Head of Carbon…

  In many respects, niobium’s properties resemble those of its chemical cousin tantalum, but nearly always in a way that disappoints. Niobium is chemically resistant to mineral acids, it can…

  What makes vanadium critical? Vanadium ranks 10/40 in Project Blue’s Critical Materials Risk Index (CMRI) 2022.   Concerns over vanadium supply availability are underpinned by its co-product nature.  Vanadium feedstock…

The European Union’s new Critical Raw Materials Act is a bold step forward in securing the region’s clean energy supply chains. Here, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence looks at how the Act’s…

Project Blue looks at  the evolving role of lithium in energy transition, and the opportunities and challenges that make lithium this decade’s key critical raw material   This month we…

This month Project Blue is looking more closely at two of the rare earths underpinning energy transition: dysprosium and terbium. Dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) are two elements that form…

The TCG held its plenary session on 28 February. Julia Tiskowiec summarises the proceedings for the MMTA.   EU Customs Reform Aim: The upcoming customs reform is described as a…

2023 Strategic Foresight Report—deadline 13 March   The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to inform its  2023 Strategic Foresight Report. This report is published every year, and…

  In a recent case, the High Court considered* whether a vessel owner could disregard a charterer’s voyage instruction without interrupting demurrage.   The dispute centred around two instances where…

  Two relatively recent cases remind us of the possible limits of “reserving your rights” in certain situations.    For Mr Justice Baker, in the 2018 case Phones 4u Ltd (In…

The Court of Appeal held that an exclusion of liability clause did not prohibit a claim for wasted expenditure. The clause in the spotlight was as follows:   “… neither…

  In this article for The Crucible, analysts Andrew Matheson and Patrick Stratton of CPM Group home in on Hafnium, that most minor of minor metals. Don’t judge a market…

Resources: Protect of Promote? Dear Members. Good Morning and a very Happy New Year! This Sunday morning, here in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, I am looking out on only a little…

In this submission to the Crucible on the subject of critical materials underpinning energy transition, Project Blue focusses on scandium.    What makes scandium critical? Scandium ranks 24/40 in Project…

    Selenium is a non-metallic element, but it also belongs with minor metals. It can be used as a photosensitive material, decolourising agent in glass, electrolytic manganese industry catalyst,…

  CA holds that express wording not required to release fraud in a settlement agreement    Background  MRL referred a case to the Court of Appeal in relation to the…

  “Pay now, argue later” clause survives legal challenge   Upholding the terms of a partial final award of an arbitration tribunal, the English High Court has found* that a…

Report from the Critical Raw Materials Association   15 November 2022 5th EU Critical Raw Materials Event   Kamila Slupek, Sustainability Director, Eurometaux Ms. Slupek presented Eurometaux’ study with KU…

Go, Go, Gallium After several false starts, NASA’s Artemis I mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on 16 November, the first in a series of complex missions…

A feasibility study carried out by Less Common Metals (LCM) has confirmed that it is feasible to establish a rare earth per-manent magnet production facility in the UK to service…

Hafnium prices have surged since September as firm demand from the aerospace, industrial gas turbine (IGT) and semiconductor industries rapidly outpaces supply, and buyers attempt to navigate this notoriously illiquid…

Following the announcement of the proposed  EU Critical Raw Materials Act (see The Crucible, September 2022), the European Commission invited views on the proposed legislation (see The Crucible, October 2022)…

Following UK sanctions placed on Russian businessman Iskander Makhmudov on 26 September, the MMTA has sought clarification from the Department for International Trade on implications for trading with the businessman’s…

  In a recent judgment1, the English Court found that interest rate swap transactions (“IRS”) entered into by the Municipality of Venice (“Venice”) were void, in that Venice lacked capacity…

On 25 October 2022 MMTA partnered with critical minerals consultancy Project Blue for a series of insights into minor metals critical to energy transition and other strategic sectors, Project Blue Forum.…

BIMCO publishes its CMII clause   The IMO’s new carbon intensity regulations are due to come into force on 1 January 2023.  To assist owners and charterers, on 17 November…

Background K Line agreed to supply a minimum amount of business to JKL, who managed the import/export of K Line’s containers in the UK. Following a restructuring by K Line…

Dear Members I’m back! And it is great to be writing to you again. Robust supply chains for, and an adequate supply of, strategic and critical materials are, once more,…

In this submission to the Crucible on the subject of critical materials underpinning energy transition, Project Blue focusses on cobalt.  While there are numerous challenges facing the cobalt supply chain,…

    As one who pays superficial attention to the booming battery industry, I’m struck by the frequency with which new technologies are touted that are “set to replace lithium-ion…

The rising fuel and energy costs have created a crunch for UK businesses and energy intensive industries in particular. The MMTA asked the department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy…

Growing demand for batteries means that significant volumes of batteries deployed to transport, portable and energy storage system applications will reach their end-of-life in the coming decades, posing the question:…

This month’s feature analysis from China Non-Ferrous Metals Industry Association  (CNIA) and China’s leading mining and metal industry consultancy Bejing Antaike Information examines China’s growing presence in  global  ITO target…

Can crypto be security? In Tulip Trading v Bitcoin Association for BSV,[1] the High Court considered whether to order security in the form of digital assets such as Bitcoin. Background…

On 26 September, the UK government placed new sanctions in connection with the war in Ukraine on several Russian businessmen “for supporting or obtaining benefit from the Government of Russia…

Background The case arose out of a JV for the operation of a Russian coalmine with 3 investors, including NDK, which held a 75% share in an SPV registered in…

  With high gas and electricity prices battering Europe, UK and EU governments announced winter support, including temporary caps on prices for domestic and business consumers. EU measures unveiled on…

The passing of the US Inflation Reduction Act puts US automakers under pressure to localise their battery raw material supply in North America or secure  supply from countries such as…

This month Project Blue takes a look at the previous poster child of critical materials: antimony. Antimony, mainly used in flame retardant and lead-acid batteries has lost its position as…

CPM Group is an independent commodities research, consulting, and investment banking advisory company headquartered in New York. In this analysis, CPM’s tantalum market experts Andrew Matheson and Patrick Stratton dig…

A-level student Rachel Higgins recently spent two weeks on work experience  at MMTA member company, UK rare earth processor Less Common Metals. There she divided her time between different departments…

It has come to the MMTA’s attention that some members have experienced delays this year in getting their metal shipments cleared through Italian customs as they required additional radiometric testing.…

A collaboration between the two leading UK industry events, this years’ RWM & Letsrecycle Live joined up to form the UK’s single largest event for the recycling, resource and wider…

  HFW Briefing   The Paris Agreement 2015 established that, if the global increase in average temperatures is to be halted, nations would need to reduce their greenhouse emissions.1  As…

  The Court of Appeal has recently considered and upheld a previous High Court decision, finding that a firm of solicitors were not able to rely on privileged communications with…

The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 implies a term into certain business contracts for the supply of goods and services so to allow a creditor a right…

The UK government’s new Critical Minerals Strategy aims to  safeguard the UK’s supply security for critical raw materials. The strategy will be informed by the newly set up Critical Minerals…

To the Moon and back Further to June’s space exploration highlights, August saw NASA readying its Artemis Moon mission for launch.  The Space Launch System rocket pictured here will send…

Aerospace This year it was the turn of Farnborough in the UK to host the International Airshow, and Boeing was the clear winner on order numbers. During the show, Boeing…

This month we are diving deep into one of the most politically topical critical materials underpinning energy transition: rare earths. While not gaining attention as a battery raw material, rare…

The UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy was launched in July at the ground breaking ceremony for the $195m Pensana’s rare earth refinery at Saltend Chemicals Park near Hull. This will be the UK’s…

Gallium is widely used in photoelectric devices, semiconductors, permanent magnets, photovoltaics, and other fields, due to its good superconductivity, ductility, optical properties, and excellent thermal shrinkage and cold expansion properties.…

If you think trade sanctions, the battle for critical metals and the race to secure a local supply chain is all a modern headache, read on.  A recently discovered time…

BIMCO’s Force Majeure Clause 20221 is a generic clause which can be modified for inclusion in a range of contracts. This may include sale agreements and charterparties.   Highlights  Where…

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence brings clarity to the otherwise opaque markets of the lithium-ion battery (LiB) and electric vehicle (EV) supply chains. Through its services, ranging from PRA, Data, Forecasts and…

Two recent court cases shed light on interpreting contractual notice requirements MUR v RTI* A notice given pursuant to a force majeure clause in a contract of affreightment was found…

  3D printing, lithium power NASA’s Moon mission   As this edition was going to press, NASA launched its CAPSTONE satellite to the Moon. This is the first step of…

Sticking to outliers in metal choices to kick off the topic of critical materials underpinning energy transition, Project Blue’s second submission to the Crucible is chromium. While most metals, including…

by REACHReady Following the departure of Great Britain from the EU and with the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, EU chemicals regulations such as REACH, the…

Securing stable magnesium supply has become a priority for policymakers after an acute shortage of material in late 2021, panellists said at the EIT Raw Materials Summit in Berlin. “To…

The reflective loss principle prevents a shareholder from seeking to recover a loss from a wrongdoer which merely reflects the loss suffered by the company it is interested in. Over…

Niobium might seem like a strange choice for Project Blue’s first submission to the Crucible on the subject of critical materials underpinning energy transition. After all, it’s mostly used in…

Global minor metal supply chains are currently grappling with a multitude of issues. Covid-19, war in Ukraine, climate change and net zero targets, and inflation, have all converged in 2022.…

The High Court held that an instruction to an expert auditor was not protected by litigation privilege, but that a solicitor’s witness statement did not waive privilege over several documents.…

Indium and its compounds are widely used in optoelectronics. The most well-known indium-based compounds are indium antimonide (InSb), indium phosphide (InP), indium arsenide (InAs), etc. Among these compounds, InSb is…

New Stream entered into a contract to sell diesel to Nord Naphtha. New Stream later gave notification of a force majeure event and eventually Nord terminated the contract due to…

The world of minor metals can be a cruel and unforgiving place. As valuable as these metals are, global markets are small. Tantalum is essential in every computer logic chip.…

Passenger traffic to return to 2019 levels in 2023-2024, and a return to long-term growth trends a few years thereafter — Boeing Aerospace The major commercial airframers, Boeing and Airbus,…

Detailed minutes: Trade Contact Group – ad hoc meeting related to Ukraine/Russia The Commission and the EU Delegation to Russia announced the following points:   The EU has put in…

In our monthly column for the MMTA, we will be shining the spotlight on a different minor metal each edition, looking at current market conditions and themes for the year…

  Tellurium is one of the scattered metalloids. It is mainly used in semiconductor devices, alloys, chemical raw materials production, or used as additives in cast iron, rubber, glass, and…

The Court of Appeal held that recovery of damages for wasted expenditure did not fall within a clause excluding damages for loss of profit. Background The case related to an…

By BeST | Published: November 18, 2014 Beryllium helps the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta mission soft-land its Philae probe on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on November 12th , 2014 – the…

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