Breaking News | SGS Audit Shows Cobre Panama Mine Compliance Rate Near 88%, Obstacles to Production Resumption Further Cleared On June 19, Panama's Ministry of Environment released the final audit report by Switzerland's SGS on First Quantum's Cobre Panama copper mine. The audit covered 370 commitments from 2019 to 2023, with an overall compliance rate of approximately 88%. Technical and operational standards scored the highest (90.20%), followed by environmental compliance. SGS pointed out that issues were concentrated in areas such as biodiversity management, and do not constitute structural deficiencies. According to SMM, maintenance of key equipment at the mine is proceeding normally. If the production resumption permit is granted, production is expected to resume at a relatively fast pace. The mine has been suspended since November 2023, with an annual capacity of approximately 350,000 mt of copper. The Panamanian government has established a cross-departmental working group to evaluate subsequent decisions.

In recent years, Indonesia's energy transition has shown clear signs of acceleration. As the government sets more ambitious renewable energy targets, and as mining decarbonisation, island-based power system upgrades, floating PV project development and local manufacturing build-out continue to advance, the long-term growth potential of Indonesia's solar PV, energy storage and microgrid markets is opening up further.

Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, part of Jameel Energy, has secured 2.3GW of transmission grid capacity in Germany to support battery storage, solar PV and hybrid renewable projects. FRV said grid access has become a decisive factor for large-scale renewable and storage projects in Germany. The secured portfolio is expected to reach ready-to-build status between 2026 and 2029 across regions including Brandenburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, covering 2-hour and 4-hour BESS projects, solar PV plants and hybrid projects.

Brunei’s Department of Energy has launched a tender for five grid-connected solar installations on government buildings in the Brunei Muara district. The scope covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of rooftop and carport PV systems, with the selected developer also required to assess the feasible PV capacity at each site. The tender is open to local and international companies, with applications due by June 23. Brunei had around 6MW of cumulative solar capacity by the end of last year and aims to reach 30% renewables in its power mix by 2035.

Alive Capital has commissioned and grid-connected the Nanov Hybrid Power Plant in Romania. The project combines 26MW DC/23.45MW AC of solar capacity with a 5MW/10.67MWh BESS, with total investment of around EUR 13.5 million.

New analysis from Make UK suggests the UK’s aluminium scrap collection and sorting sector will need to grow by around 25% annually to meet future demand outlined in the country’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The report highlighted that aluminium scrap exports have risen 84% over the past decade, reducing domestic availability of a key raw material for industries including defence, clean energy, digital technologies and automotive manufacturing. In 2024-25, UK scrap aluminium exports to the US surged from 2,000 tonnes to 24,000 tonnes after Section 232 tariffs excluded aluminium scrap, while exports to India reached approximately 200,000 tonnes. Make UK estimates total UK aluminium demand could reach 8 million tonnes by 2035, requiring around 6 million tonnes of recyclable scrap. The organisation warned that continued export growth could weaken domestic manufacturing competitiveness, investment and supply chain resilience, and called for greater investment in scrap collection, sorting and processing capacity within the UK.