- Dec17
- 00:09
Indonesia, Russia Strengthen Industrial Ties via MoU Signing at Business Forum
[SMM Aluminum Express News] Indonesia and Russia are strengthening industrial cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Indonesian Industrial Estates Association (HKI) with two Russian institutions: the Foreign Trade Centre (FTC) and the Association of Industrial Parks of Russia (AIP). The signing took place on December 8, 2025, in Moscow during the Indonesia-Russia Business Forum and Matching. HKI Chairman Akhmad Ma’ruf Maulana highlighted significant opportunities in industrial estate collaboration, particularly in priority sectors such as energy (oil and gas), mining, and transportation infrastructure. The MoUs aim to facilitate investments, information exchange, capacity building, and potential co-development projects, boosting export diversification and technological transfers.
- Dec16
- 19:49
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Teck Resources and Anglo American said on December 15 that they have received regulatory approval from the Government of Canada under the Investment Canada Act for their previously announced merger of equals, paving the way for the creation of Anglo Teck, a global critical minerals group headquartered in Canada. As part of the approval, Anglo American and Teck have agreed to a set of binding commitments, including a minimum C$4.5 billion investment in Canada over the first five years. Planned spending will include the Highland Valley Copper mine life extension, expansion of critical minerals processing capacity at Trail, and advancement of the Galore Creek and Schaft Creek copper projects in northwestern British Columbia. Total investment in Canada is expected to reach at least C$10 billion over 15 years. Both companies said the merger would establish a global critical minerals champion with significant scale and long-term investment commitments in Canada. Teck CEO Jonathan Price said the approval represents a key step toward completing the transaction, while Anglo American CEO Duncan Wanblad noted the merger follows shareholder approvals from both companies earlier this month. The merger was approved by shareholders of both companies on December 9, 2025. Completion remains subject to customary conditions, including additional regulatory approvals in other jurisdictions. Competition approvals have already been secured in Canada and Australia, with other reviews ongoing.
- 18:36
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Turkey's Ministry of Trade has released the final disclosure report on its anti-dumping investigation into cold-rolled stainless flat steel imports from China and Indonesia (Jan 2021 – Dec 2023). The report concludes that imports from China were dumped, causing price pressure and negatively impacting the domestic market, with dumping margins set between 3.95% and 13.47% for various Chinese companies. In contrast, the dumping margin for Indonesian exporter IRNC was found to be below the de minimis level, meaning no duties will be applied to Indonesian imports.
- 18:14
Metallium, ElementUSA Team Up for Gallium-Scandium Recovery Project
[Metallium Collaborates with ElementUSA to Develop Gallium-Scandium Products] Australian metal recycling enterprise Metallium has partnered with US waste management enterprise ElementUSA to plan the recovery of gallium, scandium, and other critical minerals from red mud in Louisiana. Among these, Metallium's exclusive flash Joule heating (FJH) technology will be applied in the demonstration facility being developed by ElementUSA in Gramercy, Louisiana.
- 18:12
Metallium & ElementUSA Team Up to Extract Critical Minerals from Red Mud in Louisiana
Metallium, an Australian metal recycling company, and ElementUSA, a US waste management firm, will collaborate to recover gallium, scandium, and other critical minerals from red mud in Louisiana. Metallium’s proprietary flash joule heating (FJH) technology will be deployed at a demonstration facility developed by ElementUSA in Gramercy, Louisiana.
- 18:12
SMM Express: Domestic Steel Export Offers Stable with Signs of Revived Buying Interest
SMM Express: Today, domestic steel export offers mostly held steady, with some raising by $1/mt. Most export orders were scheduled for shipment in January-February. Since the export license incident was announced, the market has been in a wait-and-see mode, and trading during the day tended to be mediocre. However, buying interest was heard to reemerge today, with inquiry activity in the market improving, and some traders were still rushing to meet shipment deadlines.
- 18:06
Utah Mining Firm Unveils Potential Major North American Rare Earth Deposit
A mining company from Utah claims to have discovered a massive deposit of rare earths and other critical metals, describing it as potentially "one of the largest deposits in North America discovered to date." Ionic Mineral Technologies (IMT) announced last week that sample analysis from its Silicon Ridge project in Utah confirmed it as a halloysite-controlled ion-adsorption deposit, which is easier to extract compared to traditional "hard-rock" lithium ore. The company stated that ion-adsorption rare earth deposits account for over 70% of the world's heavy rare earth resources. Additionally, the deposit is not only rich in rare earths but also contains gallium, germanium, rubidium, cesium, scandium, lithium, vanadium, tungsten, and niobium.
- 17:59
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SMM Steel, December 16 – According to SMM statistics, the estimated total resource shipments in mainstream markets this week reached 287,800 mt, up 54.48% WoW from last week’s shipment level.
- 17:59
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Nyrstar announced on December 15 that it has entered into an agreement with Korea Zinc regarding a transaction involving the East Tennessee and Middle Tennessee mining complexes and the Clarksville zinc smelter in the US state of Tennessee, which are currently owned or operated by Nyrstar. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Korea Zinc plans to acquire the fully permitted sites in Tennessee and develop a new large-scale, fully integrated smelting facility in Clarksville. The transaction remains subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the first half of 2026. Under the agreement, zinc metal production from the Clarksville smelter in 2026 will continue to be sold to Trafigura. The Clarksville smelter is currently the only primary zinc smelter in the United States and has been in operation for nearly 50 years. Together with the associated East and Middle Tennessee mining complexes, the assets form a key domestic US mine-to-metals value chain. The operations benefit from highly skilled workforce, favourable geological and operating conditions, strong logistics and relatively low power costs, which add to the overall asset value. Nyrstar will continue to invest in its smelting operations in Australia and Europe, while working closely with the US administration to support the development of critical minerals supply chains. This includes continued support for the US–Australia Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Project Pipeline.
- 17:57
Emmvee Photovoltaic to Expand with 6GW Capacity, Commencing Ops in 2028
Indian PV manufacturer Emmvee Photovoltaic Power Limited is accelerating its integrated capacity expansion plans, aiming to add 6GW of PV cell and module production capacity. The company has secured factory land in Bangalore, Karnataka, with the project expected to commence operations in the first half of 2028. Emmvee stated that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has allocated industrial land in Devanahalli for the construction of its new photovoltaic manufacturing base. The project is scheduled for completion and commencement of operations in the first half of 2028.
- 17:57
Ecoprogetti's 400MW Fully-Automated Module Line Starts in Oman for AACE
Recently, Italian photovoltaic equipment supplier Ecoprogetti announced that its fully automated 400MW module production line, constructed for American Advanced Clean Energy (AACE), has commenced full-scale operations in Oman. The facility supports both TOPCon and HJT module manufacturing, with products slated for export to the US market.
- 17:56
2026 National Energy Work Conference Sets Key Tasks, Highlights Green Transformation
On 15 December, the 2026 National Energy Work Conference convened in Beijing to outline key tasks for the year. The conference emphasised that energy work in 2026 must closely follow the main thread of energy development, striving to achieve a sound start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period and provide robust energy support for the advancement of Chinese-style modernisation. Among these, the third main task includes: steadfastly advancing the green and low-carbon transformation of energy. Continuously increasing the proportion of new energy supply, adding over 200 gigawatts of new wind and solar power generation capacity throughout the year, orderly advancing major hydropower projects, actively and safely developing nuclear power in an orderly manner, and enhancing the clean and efficient utilisation of fossil fuels.
- 17:55
Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Hechuan Longxing's Innovative 320MW Agroforestry Solar Project
On 10 December, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hechuan Longxing Agroforestry Project by Guoneng (Chongqing) New Energy Development Co., Ltd. was held in Longxing Town, Hechuan District, Chongqing. It is understood that this project innovatively adopts an agroforestry model combining solar power generation with tree cultivation beneath the panels. Olive trees are uniformly planted beneath the photovoltaic modules, achieving dual benefits of land composite utilisation and ecological gains. The overall planned capacity reaches 320MW, with an initial phase of 220MW. The project will deploy 96 photovoltaic arrays and construct a new 110kV substation, expected to be completed and ready for grid connection by the end of next year. The total investment exceeds RMB 1 billion.
- 17:37
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During the day, the most-traded HRC futures contract held up well, closing at 3,246, up 0.68% on the day. In the spot market, HRC prices rose slightly, while CRC prices held steady. On data, the impact from maintenance on HRC this week was 438,200 mt, up 112,800 mt WoW. Additionally, Zhangjiagang HRC inventory data was released today: this week's inventory stood at 245,000 mt, down 18,000 mt WoW, a decrease of 6.84%; down 51.00% YoY (Gregorian calendar), and down 46.15% YoY (lunar calendar). Fundamentally, steel mill annual maintenance impact increased in December, with HRC production expected to remain low and fluctuate in the middle and late ten-day periods of the month, and inventory is expected to continue its downward trend. Recently, some northern regions issued environmental protection-related control notices again, increasing price volatility. HRC prices are expected to continue fluctuating rangebound within the 3,200-3,280 range in the short term.
- 17:31
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[ SMM Hot-Rolled Coil Daily Trading ] On December 16, the total daily trading volume of hot-rolled coil from SMM's four-city (Shanghai, Lecong, Tianjin, Ningbo) sample enterprises was 13,530 mt, up 2,130 mt or 18.9% MoM.
- 17:16
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Lithium battery materials giant GEM (002340.SZ) announced that, to better implement the company's circular industry strategic layout and promote the development of the circular industry, it has decided to engage in equity cooperation with a state-owned enterprise possessing advantages in circular industry development. On the same day, GEM and Henan Investment Group jointly signed the "Property Rights Transaction Contract," under which GEM will acquire a 16.38% equity stake in Henan Circular Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Henan Investment Group, for a transaction amount of RMB 400 million.
- 17:15
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Information from Geely's tender indicates that Zhejiang Green Travel Technology Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as "Green Travel") has issued a tender announcement for R&D materials related to solid-state battery cells for the 2026–2027 period.
- 17:10
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Ronbay Technology announced that the company plans to use 342 million yuan of its own funds to acquire a 54.9688% stake in Guizhou Xinren New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Guizhou Xinren"), and will use 140 million yuan of its own funds to increase capital in Guizhou Xinren. Upon completion of this transaction, the company will hold a 93.2034% equity stake in Guizhou Xinren, making Guizhou Xinren a controlled subsidiary of the company and included within the company's consolidated financial statements.
- 17:09
National HRC Prices Rise Domestically and in Exports on 16th
On the 16th, the national mainstream cities' HRC offers rose by 5-20 yuan/mt, while export prices increased by $1/mt.
- 16:41
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This week, Zhangjiagang HRC inventories were 245,000 mt, down 18,000 mt WoW, a decline of 6.84%; the YoY decline on a Gregorian calendar basis was 51.00%, and on a lunar calendar basis, 46.15%.
- 16:41
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[SMM Express] SHFE data shows that on December 16, the total registration volume of cast aluminum alloy warrants was 69,633 mt, a decrease of 89 mt compared to the previous trading day. Among them, the total registration volume in Shanghai was 4,757 mt, unchanged from the previous trading day; Guangdong region's total registration volume was 21,744 mt, a decrease of 29 mt compared to the previous trading day; Jiangsu region's total registration volume was 12,080 mt, a decrease of 60 mt compared to the previous trading day; Zhejiang region's total registration volume was 24,324 mt, unchanged from the previous trading day; Chongqing region's total registration volume was 6,308 mt, unchanged from the previous trading day; Sichuan region's total registration volume was 420 mt, unchanged from the previous trading day.
- 16:36
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【SMM Steel】POSCO has completed production preparations for DuraPOS™, the first domestically developed wear-resistant hot-rolled steel plate, which is expected to reduce reliance on imported products. According to POSCO Holdings, the company has fully configured its production line for wear-resistant hot-rolled steel plates under 5 mm thickness. The material offers three times the hardness of general commercial steel with higher durability, enabling reduced steel usage as it maintains equivalent strength even when thickness is reduced to one-third of conventional materials.
- 16:35
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【SMM Steel】The North Sea Transition Authority has launched its second carbon capture licensing round, offering 14 sites in Scottish and English waters for exploration and assessment. These sites have potential to store up to 2 gigatons of CO2, providing capacity support for future industrial decarbonization in the UK and Europe. The offered areas include depleted hydrocarbon fields selected by NSTA and saline aquifer sites identified after a public nomination call in early 2025. Carbon capture and storage plays a crucial role in decarbonizing major UK industrial centers, involving transport of CO2 captured from industrial processes to offshore areas for deep geological storage. The licensing round will run until March 24, 2026, with permits potentially awarded in early 2027.
- 16:35
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【SMM Steel】Tata Steel's board has approved a series of expansion initiatives as part of its long-term growth strategy in India. The board cleared a 4.8 mtpa capacity expansion at Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd, expected to support the company's long products expansion. To serve the automotive sector, Tata Steel will establish a 0.7 mtpa hot-rolled pickling and galvanizing line in Tarapur, Maharashtra. Additionally, the company plans to expand flat steel production at Meeramandali by adding a 2.5 mtpa thin-slab caster and rolling facility. Tata Steel targets achieving 40 mtpa capacity by 2030.
The local prices are expected to be released soon, stay tuned!
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