[POSCO and SK On Form Lithium Alliance for Battery Cooperation] POSCO and SK On have signed a long-term lithium supply agreement, aiming to stabilize the battery materials supply chain. According to a statement released by the two companies on Wednesday, POSCO will supply up to 25,000 mt of lithium from this year until 2028 under the agreement. This supply is sufficient to produce batteries for approximately 400,000 EVs. The lithium will be produced by POSCO Argentina at the Salar del Hombre Muerto salt flat in Salta Province, Argentina, and supplied to SK On's EV battery projects in Europe and North America. SK On is also considering using the material for ESS. Source: https://pulse.mk.co.kr/ [Cornwall's Geothermal Revolution: Extracting Green Energy and Lithium from Granite] The UK's renewable energy sector has achieved a significant leap forward, with a pioneering mini power station in Cornwall officially commencing operation, successfully using underground hot granite to produce zero-carbon electricity and extract high-value battery-grade lithium. Led by Geothermal Engineering Ltd., the project innovatively combines green power generation with critical minerals extraction, is expected to revitalize the region's historic mining economy and supply electricity to thousands of households via the power grid. For East Africa, a region rich in geothermal potential (particularly the Kenyan Rift Valley), the dual extraction technology provides an attractive model. If African energy producers can adopt this approach, simultaneously obtaining electricity and high-profit minerals from geothermal wells, it will significantly enhance the economic feasibility of green energy projects across the continent. Source: https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/ [Zimbabwe Bans Lithium Exports: Global Supply Chain Crisis Emerges] Zimbabwe's recent decision to implement a comprehensive ban on lithium exports marks a watershed moment for the global critical minerals market, highlighting the growing influence of resource nationalism on international supply chains. This policy shift reflects a broader trend: mineral-rich countries are prioritizing domestic value creation over raw material exports, fundamentally altering the landscape of the global battery metals market. The impact extends far beyond a single country; its ripple effects will run through international supply chains, from EVs to renewable energy infrastructure. When countries with significant mineral reserves impose export restrictions, the resulting market dynamics can permanently alter the entire industry's price structures, investment flows, and strategic planning. Zimbabwe's recent decision to suspend mineral exports is a prominent example of this phenomenon. This southern African country, which supplied approximately 10% of the world's lithium resources in 2024, has effectively cut off external supply of its battery metal resources, forcing international buyers to scramble for alternative sources, while domestic processing capacity remains severely underdeveloped. Source: https://discoveryalert.com.au/ [Atlantic Lithium Acquisition Proposal Rejected: 2026 Strategic Value Preservation Strategy] When mature miners pursue mergers and acquisitions during market recovery periods, the core of their strategy shifts from acquiring distressed assets to preserving strategic value. The lithium industry exemplifies this dynamic—during phases of rebounding commodity prices, pre-production developers increasingly tend to reject acquisition proposals, prioritizing long-term value creation over immediate liquidity events. Furthermore, understanding broader critical minerals strategies is essential when assessing these complex market dynamics. Market participants observed that spodumene concentrate prices rebounded from a cyclical low of $800/mt in October 2025 to approximately $1,900/mt by February 2026, a 137.5% increase within four months. This rapid recovery has created a significant valuation gap between acquirers' offers and target companies' intrinsic value assessments. The case of Atlantic Lithium's rejected acquisition proposal demonstrates how pre-production lithium developers evaluate conditional non-binding acquisition offers based on the medium and long-term demand fundamentals in the EV and BESS sectors. Enterprises in the late-stage permitting phase generally believe that current market conditions do not fully reflect the full potential of their asset portfolios. Source: https://discoveryalert.com.au/ [Indian Company Deploys Non-Lithium Multi-Ion Battery System] Mumbai-based battery technology developer Gegadyne Energy stated that its delivery of the first non-lithium multi-ion chemistry battery packs to two of the world's largest material handling original equipment manufacturers marks a true "inflection point" for the forklift industry. Gegadyne has completed the first commercial deployment of its non-lithium multi-ion chemistry battery packs with Linde Material Handling India and the Godrej & Boyce Group. The company claims that this battery, with a cycle life exceeding 5,000 cycles, can be charged from 0% to 100% in 15 minutes, thereby "completely eliminating" dependence on the lithium supply chain. Designed for forklifts, cranes, and warehouse equipment, the battery operates effectively within a temperature range of -40°C to 65°C. Source: https://www.forkliftaction.com/

[SMM Silicon-Based PV Morning Conference Summary] Silicon Metal: Post-Chinese New Year, the market exhibited strong wait-and-see sentiment, with silicon enterprise offers remaining basically stable compared to pre-holiday levels. Yesterday, SMM assessed oxygen-blown #553 silicon in east China at 9,200-9,400 yuan/mt and #441 silicon at 9,300-9,600 yuan/mt. The most-traded futures contract fluctuated near 8,350-8,450 yuan/mt, while some futures-spot traders saw their spot-futures price spread quotes strengthen slightly. On the first trading day after the holiday, market activity was dominated by inquiries, with limited spot transaction volumes. Silicone: Yesterday's transaction price stood at 13,800-14,000 yuan/mt, holding steady from pre-holiday levels. During the Chinese New Year holiday, demand remained stagnant. Post-holiday, as downstream plants resumed operations and the first wave of rigid restocking demand gradually emerged, coupled with low operating rates on the supply side and the upcoming silicone monomer industry conference in Zhejiang from late February to early March, silicone prices are still expected to rise.

On June 17, the share price of China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited (CNMC) rose. As of 14:29 on June 17, CNMC's shares increased by 2.03%, closing at HK$7.03 per share. On June 16, CNMC (01258) announced that its subsidiary, CNMC (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited, had signed the 2025 Gecamines Copper Cathode Purchase Agreement with Gecamines on June 16, 2025. The total contract value was approximately $67.03 million, involving the purchase of 7,000 metric tons of high-grade copper cathode processed by CNMC Huaxin Hydrometallurgy. CNMC (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited is a subsidiary of the company. Gecamines holds a 40% stake in the company's subsidiary, Kambove Mining, and is considered a connected person at the subsidiary level under the Listing Rules. Therefore, the transactions proposed under the 2025 Gecamines Copper Cathode Purchase Agreement constitute connected transactions of the company under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules. According to CNMC's announcement, as one or more of the applicable percentage ratios in relation to the transactions proposed under the 2025 Gecamines Copper Cathode Purchase Agreement, when considered on a standalone basis, exceed 0.1% but are all below 5%, these transactions are subject to the reporting, annual review, and announcement requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules and are exempt from the requirement for independent shareholders' approval. Under Rule 14A.81 of the Listing Rules, if a series of connected transactions are all conducted within the same 12-month period or are interrelated, these transactions must be aggregated and treated as a single transaction. The transactions proposed under the 2025 Gecamines Copper Cathode Purchase Agreement are similar in nature to previous transactions and must be aggregated. When aggregated with previous transactions, all applicable percentage ratios for the transactions proposed under this agreement exceed 0.1% but are below 5%. Therefore, these transactions are subject to the reporting and announcement requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules and are exempt from the requirement for independent shareholders' approval. The key terms of the agreement include the agreement period from June 16, 2025, to December 31, 2025. Pricing: The price per metric ton for the copper cathode sold under the 2025 Gecamines Copper Cathode Purchase Agreement shall be determined by reference to the average price during the agreed quotation period (i.e., the month following the delivery month, hereinafter referred to as the "Quotation Period"). This price is calculated by deducting a discount of $425 per metric ton from the daily cash seller's quotation for Grade A copper on the London Metal Exchange during the Quotation Period, after fair negotiations between the contracting parties. Therefore, the total market value of the copper cathode is approximately $70,000,000 (before deducting the discount). Payment: The payment for the 2025 Gecamines Copper Cathode Purchase Agreement shall be made by CNMC (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited to Gecamines' designated account via telegraphic transfer within five (5) working days after the delivery of the copper cathode. Delivery Period: CNMC Hong Kong Holdings Limited is required to appoint a carrier to dispatch trucks to Gécamines' plant for cargo loading within ten (10) days from the date Gécamines provides the goods. Regarding the reasons for this transaction, the announcement by China Nonferrous Mining Corporation Limited (CNMC) indicates that the copper cathode purchased under the 2025 agreement will meet the demand for copper cathode from CNMC Hong Kong Holdings Limited and its customers. The Board believes that entering into this agreement is beneficial to the Group and aligns with the Group's business and commercial objectives. The agreement was negotiated on a one-off basis, taking into account the recent demand for copper cathode and the market supply and demand conditions at the time of signing. As of the announcement date, the Group has no plans to purchase copper cathode from Gécamines on an annual basis. If the Company plans to engage in continuous daily transactions with Gécamines in the future, it will comply with all applicable provisions of the Listing Rules. When commenting on CNMC's 2024 annual report and 2025 Q1 results, Minsheng Securities stated: "Historical best annual net profit attributable to shareholders, with expectations for sustained growth in self-produced copper." On April 25, 2025, the Company released its 2024 annual report and 2025 Q1 results. In 2024, the Company achieved revenue of $3.817 billion, up 5.8% YoY, and a net profit attributable to shareholders of $399 million, up 43.6% YoY. On a quarterly basis, the Company achieved a net profit attributable to shareholders of $85 million in 2024Q4, up 273.9% YoY and down 11.1% MoM; in 2025Q1, the Company achieved a net profit attributable to shareholders of $123 million, up 46% YoY and up 46% QoQ. The 2025Q1 results exceeded market expectations. The record-high net profit attributable to shareholders in 2024 was mainly due to the rise in copper prices. ① Production: Affected by the change of service providers and tight power supply in the DRC, the self-produced copper output declined slightly YoY. In 2024, the Company's production of blister copper and copper anode/copper cathode/sulphuric acid was 28.6/12.6/1.056 million mt, with YoY changes of +0.1%, -11.4%, and +10.5%, respectively. Among them, self-produced blister copper and copper anode/copper cathode were 7.77/81,500 mt, down 11.4% and 0.2% YoY, respectively. The total self-produced copper ore was 159,000 mt, down 6% YoY. The decrease in self-produced blister copper and copper anode output was mainly due to a 10.9% YoY decline in CNMC Nonferrous Mining's copper output to 68,000 mt, as the change of underground mining service providers in H1 affected the production of sulphide ore. From a quarterly production perspective, Q2-Q4 had recovered to a level of 17,000-18,000 mt per quarter. In addition, although self-produced copper cathode production remained basically flat, the production of copper cathode from externally purchased oxide ore decreased, leading to a YoY decline in total copper cathode output, mainly due to production losses at Huaxin Hydrometallurgy and Huaxin Mabende caused by power shortages in the DRC. ② Sales: Production and sales were basically balanced. It is worth noting that cobalt production was only 633 mt, down 49.6% YoY, possibly due to the prolonged downturn in cobalt prices. ③ Unit Price: Rising copper prices contributed to profit growth. ④ Cost: Cost control was strong, with overall costs remaining stable. ⑤ Lightly Equipped with Excellent Asset Quality. In Q1 2025, the company's net profit attributable to shareholders increased significantly both YoY and QoQ, mainly due to the rise in copper prices and the normalization of copper production. ① Production: In Q1 2025, the company's production of blister copper and copper anode/copper cathode/sulphuric acid was 10.97/3.50/271,400 mt respectively. Among them, the production of blister copper and copper anode, and sulphuric acid was basically flat YoY, while the production of copper cathode increased by 8% YoY. This was mainly because the production of copper cathode at Huaxin Mabende and Huaxin Hydrometallurgy, two hydrometallurgical smelters in the DRC, increased by 49% and 20% YoY respectively. The increase in production was due to the company's efforts to ensure power supply through multiple measures such as constructing PV power generation and diesel power generation facilities. The self-produced blister copper and copper anode (CNMC Luanshya + CNMC Nonferrous Mine + Chambishi Hydrometallurgy)/copper cathode (CNMC Luanshya + Chambishi Hydrometallurgy + Gambowe Mining) were 21,400/21,700 mt respectively, increasing by 22.4% and decreasing by 3.7% YoY respectively. The total self-produced copper ore was 43,000 mt, up 7.7% YoY. The increase in self-produced blister copper and copper anode production was mainly due to the 26.7% YoY increase in copper production at Chambishi Copper Mine of CNMC Nonferrous Mine, as the low base caused by the replacement of mine service providers in the same period last year affected production, which has now returned to normal this year. ② Unit Price: In Q1 2025, the prices of copper and cobalt were 77,300 yuan/mt and 170,000 yuan/mt respectively, changing by +11.3% and -17.1% YoY, and increasing by 2.4% and 4.6% QoQ respectively. The long-term contract TC for 2025 was $21.25/mt. The vast majority of the company's smelter raw materials come from copper concentrates locked in through long-term contracts. However, due to successful negotiations on freight sharing, the decline in some of the TC was offset, so the impact of the decline in smelting processing fees on the company was less than that on domestic companies. Core Highlights: ① Endogenous Growth: CNMC Africa Mining, CNMC Luanshya, and Chambishi Hydrometallurgy, subsidiaries of the company, will research and promote the following projects in the next 3-5 years: the expansion of the Chambishi Southeast Orebody, the new mine of CNMC Luanshya, the mining and beneficiation project of the Samba Mine, and the production resumptions of the Gambowe West Orebody and MSESA Orebody, indicating significant endogenous growth potential. ② Outward Mergers and Acquisitions: At the group level, to address horizontal competition issues, the DRC company and Deziwa Copper Mine are expected to be injected into the publicly listed firm. ③ Scarcity of High-Dividend Copper Targets. Risk Warnings: Continuous decline in smelting processing fees, decline in copper prices, and geopolitical risks. Guosen Securities commented on CNMC Mining in its research report, stating: Core Mines: In 2024, CNMC Africa Mining produced approximately 68,200 mt of copper anode, down about 11% YoY; CNMC Luanshya produced approximately 44,400 mt of copper cathode, up about 2% YoY, and 4,159 mt of copper anode, down about 47% YoY; Gambowe Mining produced approximately 34,400 mt of copper cathode, up about 4% YoY. High Dividend Payout Ratio: The company plans to distribute a dividend of 4.2893¢ per share, with a total dividend amount of approximately $167 million, accounting for 42% of the company's net profit attributable to shareholders in 2024. The company has maintained a dividend payout ratio of over 40% for four consecutive years since 2020, with its dividend payout ratio and dividend yield ranking among the leading levels in the industry. The company's captive mine is expected to gradually increase its annual copper production to approximately 300,000 mt in the medium and long term. Risk Warnings: Risk of mineral product selling prices not meeting expectations, risk of the company's project construction progress not meeting expectations, and risk of changes in policies related to mineral resources in overseas countries.

The path for joint mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and restructuring in the highly anticipated polysilicon sector has begun to take shape. During this year's SNEC exhibition, Lan Tianshi, Co-CEO of GCL Technology (03800.HK), revealed in an exchange with media outlets such as Cailian Press that currently, leading enterprises in the industry are taking the lead in establishing a company operated by professional managers through a model of "direct capital contribution + debt". This company aims to achieve capacity exit and controlled output through acquisitions, and then repay liabilities through profits, thereby promoting the orderly exit of industry capacity. "In the future, participants may invest and repay debts with real money through equity or forms such as limited partnerships (LPs)," Lan Tianshi said.

According to MiningNews.net, in Q1, Australia's exploration sector was experiencing a significant downturn, with key indicators such as financing, exploration investment, and corporate cash reserves showing stagnation or substantial declines. Consulting firm BDO described Q1 as "the most disheartening quarter in recent years" in its latest report. The poor start to 2025 was reflected in a sharp 19% drop in mineral exploration investment to AUD 635 million, the lowest level since Q2 2021. The average investment per company was AUD 860,000, the worst performance since Q1 2021. The average cash surplus of exploration companies fell by 3% to AUD 9.8 million. Only 26 companies were able to raise more than AUD 10 million, collectively raising AUD 1.57 billion, compared to 57 companies raising over AUD 2.17 billion in Q4 of the previous year. This marked the worst period in six years. Additionally, due to mergers and acquisitions, executive appointments, or the delisting of entities that had been suspended for an extended period, the number of companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) decreased by 17, leaving only 747. There were no initial public offerings (IPOs) during this period, the first time since 2020. Sherif Andrawes, Head of Natural Resources and Energy Research at BDO, stated that the company's analysis of the data revealed a "worrying" state of the exploration sector. Signs of capital discipline and cautious spending suggest that the situation may deteriorate further in the future, especially since the federal budget in May abolished support policies such as the Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive (JMEI), which may pose greater challenges for junior exploration companies. "The significant decline in financing and exploration expenditure indicates increased investor caution and rising market uncertainty," Andrawes said. "Our quarterly analysis shows a poor start to 2025. In previous quarters, exploration companies had demonstrated some resilience in the face of weak commodity prices, particularly for uranium and lithium." Financing for lithium companies dropped by 90% to AUD 68.95 million, while financing for uranium miners came to a complete halt. As a safe-haven asset, gold mining companies emerged as a bright spot. Among the 26 companies that raised funds, 16 were gold miners, particularly Predictive Discovery and Black Cat Syndicate. Gold mining companies raised AUD 621 million, more than double the amount raised in the same period last year. Copper mining companies raised AUD 122 million, and silver exploration companies raised AUD 120 million. "M&A activity in the sector has also increased, with major transactions including Gold Fields' acquisition of Gold Road Resources and Ramelius Resources' acquisition of Spartan Resources," Andrawes said. Given the current market volatility, BDO expects gold to continue to dominate the trend in H2 2025.

"In 2025, the overall end-use market demand is gradually recovering. Currently, our company has strong order demand in high-end consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial sectors, and we expect revenue to maintain rapid growth this year," said Chenjie Ruan, Chairman and General Manager of Southchip Semiconductor Technology, at today's (June 9) earnings conference. In Q1 this year, Southchip's net profit declined significantly. Data shows the company's Q1 revenue reached 685 million yuan, up 13.86% YoY, while net profit attributable to shareholders was 63.4926 million yuan, down 36.86% YoY, and adjusted net profit stood at 56.2623 million yuan, down 43.76% YoY. The company attributed the profit decline in its financial report mainly to increased R&D investment. Its Q1 R&D expenditure totaled approximately 124 million yuan, up 37.84% YoY. Ruan told the Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily that Southchip will continue focusing on high-end consumer electronics, automotive electronics, industrial, AI, and communication sectors, with more new product codes expected to launch and enter mass production this year. As business scale expands further, revenue proportions from high-end consumer, automotive, and industrial sectors are projected to increase further in 2025. The Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily noted that currently, Southchip is in rapid expansion phase in automotive sector . In 2024, its automotive business grew 179%, covering auto body control, smart driving, smart cockpit, and onboard charging. The company has launched multiple new products in these areas, including some high-end PMICs and driver chips for domain controllers. Ruan stated at the conference that in 2025, the company will introduce products for more sub-sectors, with automotive business expected to maintain rapid growth momentum and further increase its proportion. He expressed confidence in achieving fast growth and rising share for automotive electronics in coming years. Regarding core mobile device business, Ruan said, "This segment is expected to continue growing this year, driven by charging management, display power management, and lithium battery management businesses." In wearables market, Southchip already has chip products like DC-DC, Charger, lithium battery protection, and wireless charging applied in smartwatches/bands, TWS, and VR/AR end-use products. Ruan indicated the company will further strengthen product deployment in wearables market. In March this year, Southchip Technology proposed to change its initial public offering (IPO) investment project, the "Construction Project of the Testing Center," into the "Construction Project of the Chip Testing Industrial Park." The total investment for the planned chip testing industrial park project is approximately 4.67 times that of the original testing center project, amounting to 1.443 billion yuan. The project's planned construction period has been extended from three years to nine years. Regarding the latest progress of this project, Ruan Chenjie stated that the construction project of the chip testing industrial park has completed the registration of the implementing entity and the opening of a special account for the raised funds. Currently, the company is advancing the design phase of the park's construction. The first phase of the investment project is expected to commence production in 2027, gradually covering the company's capacity needs in the power management chip testing segment. In terms of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), in January this year, Southchip Technology announced its intention to acquire 100% equity of MCU producer Sunrise Micro for 160 million yuan in cash. Regarding the latest progress of this acquisition project, Ruan Chenjie stated that the company has completed the acquisition transaction of Sunrise Micro in Zhuhai so far and will continue to promote the integration of both parties in the M&A process. In response to investors' concerns about Sunrise Micro's new order situation, Ruan Chenjie said that the integration work between Sunrise Micro in Zhuhai and the company is progressing as planned. Currently, Sunrise Micro's business orders are in line with industry conditions. Regarding overseas business, Ruan Chenjie stated that expanding overseas markets is a long-term development strategy for the company. Currently, the company has established a presence in Singapore, South Korea, and other locations, targeting customers in high-end consumer electronics, automotive, and other sectors. This year, the company is expected to achieve new breakthroughs with key overseas customers.