[SMM Aluminum Express News] Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle made landfall near Coen, Far North Queensland, Australia, around 7:30 AM on March 20, 2026, as a Category 4 system (after peaking as Cat 5 offshore). It brought winds >250 km/h, 200–500 mm rain, flash flooding, and storm surge—one of the strongest cyclones to hit the region in decades. Rio Tinto shut down its Weipa bauxite operations (including Amrun and Andoom mines) as a precaution against destructive winds, heavy rain, and risks to infrastructure. The Weipa area supplies key global bauxite for aluminium production. Emergency evacuations occurred in remote communities like Lockhart River.

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) said on Monday it has gained control of acreage in Arizona needed to build the Resolution Copper mine, a project slated to become one of the largest US sources of the critical mineral but one that Native Americans have opposed for more than 20 years.

Rio Tinto said it has gained control of the land needed to build the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona, USA.

Following a worker fatality on March 12, Rio Tinto suspended operations at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah, US. In a statement posted on its official website, Rio Tinto said that all surface and underground mining operations at Kennecott (also known as Bingham Canyon Mine) had been suspended. Chief Executive Officer Simon Trott said the company was working closely with the relevant authorities and contractor partners to support a full and thorough investigation.

Rio Tinto said it will slow the construction pace of the lithium processing plant for the Nemaska Lithium Project in Bécancour, Quebec, Canada, due to a sharp rise in project costs. Most contractors are expected to halt work in the coming weeks, with only a minimal number of workers remaining on site to maintain operations. The plant is currently more than 70% complete and is planned to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide, with operations originally scheduled to begin in 2028. Full construction activity is expected to resume in 2027. Rio Tinto added that despite the slowdown, it still plans to invest more than $300 million in its Quebec lithium business in 2026 and does not expect significant changes to the overall project timeline.

Recently, Rio Tinto Group and CATL signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing a Partnership. The two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in three key areas: strategic development and innovation in electrification, supply chains and the circular economy, and commercial and cooperation mechanisms, to jointly seize new industrial opportunities arising from the low-carbon transition. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the two parties will prioritize advancing electrification applications in mining operations, exploring commercial pathways for battery materials recycling and the circular development of critical mineral resources, and studying circular economy practices and diversified cooperation models.

Rio Tinto has suspended operations at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah after a fatal accident involving a contract worker. The mine is one of the most significant copper producers in the United States. The company said operations will remain halted while a full safety investigation is conducted.

[CleanTech Is About to Sign a 40-Year Operating Contract With the Chilean Government for the Laguna Verde Lithium Project] CleanTech Lithium, an Anglo-Australian company, is about to sign a 40-year contract with the Chilean government to develop the Laguna Verde lithium project in the Atacama Region, enabling it to advance extraction of this mineral at one of the salt lakes opened to the private sector. After reaching agreement with the Ministry of Mining on the terms of the Special Lithium Operating Contract (CEOL), Chile’s Office of the Comptroller General is now expected to approve the document in Q2 2026. CleanTech, its subsidiary Atacama Salt Lakes, and minority shareholders that are among the consortium members established to advance the Laguna Verde project have begun celebrating this new phase, as it provides greater certainty for their investment. [Rio Tinto Begins Commercial Lithium Exports From the Rincon Project] Rio Tinto’s milestone achievement in commencing commercial lithium exports from the Rincon project marked a pivotal moment for the global lithium market. Miners are currently contending with the complex interplay of resource scarcity, geopolitical tensions, and the accelerating popularization of EVs. The traditional supply-chain dependencies that have defined battery materials sourcing for decades are being reshaped by new producers launching commercial operations in previously underexplored regions. These developments signify not merely a slight increase in capacity, but a fundamental shift in how critical minerals move from extraction sites to manufacturing hubs, with implications far beyond quarterly production data. Rio Tinto’s commercial lithium exports from the Rincon project reflected its prudent positioning in one of the world’s most fiercely contested mining regions for this mineral. Following the suspension of the Jadar project in Serbia in 2025, the company shipped 200 mt of battery-grade lithium carbonate from Buenos Aires to Shanghai in March 2026, marking the official start of operations at its core South American lithium asset. The timing of this market entry reflected broader industry dynamics across the Lithium Triangle. Argentina’s regulatory environment has increasingly favoured large-scale international mining operations. In addition, the Rincon project is located in Salta Province, placing Rio Tinto within a geographic cluster that contains significant global lithium resources across Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. [The Geothermal Plant Behind Europe’s Lithium Push] The town of Landau in der Pfalz, near the French-German border, has long been at the heart of the local winemaking industry. The region is also home to the Upper Rhine Valley brine fields, which contain Europe’s largest lithium resources and have now made it a hub for Europe’s push to advance EV development. The planned integrated geothermal-lithium extraction plant forms part of renewable energy producer Vulcan Energy’s ambition to build a carbon-neutral EV supply chain in Europe. The project will use geothermal wells to extract lithium-rich brine from depths of up to 5 kilometers. The high-temperature brine will be pumped to the surface, where lithium will be extracted before being transported to a plant. There, the lithium will be converted through electrolysis into lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM). The brine will then be reinjected underground, while LHM will be delivered to offtakers, including automaker Stellantis, which owns automotive brands such as Citroen and Peugeot. [Liontown's Interim Loss Widens as It Bets on a Recovery in Lithium Prices] Australia's Liontown said on Thursday that its loss widened in H1 due to a non-cash accounting charge, and added that it is evaluating potential expansion options for its Kathleen Valley mine as lithium prices are expected to rise. The miner of this raw material used in EV batteries has been seeing an initial price recovery after nearly two years of weakness. Previously, EV adoption was slower than generally expected, resulting in oversupply. Liontown said in its December quarter report that prices improved, with the selling price reaching $900/mt, up 28% from the previous quarter. As its flagship project transitioned to underground mining, the company sold 190,000 mt of spodumene, a lithium raw material, in H1. Source: https://www.investing.com

The Mongolian government is demanding early profit sharing and a higher revenue share from the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, a joint venture with Rio Tinto, and has reopened negotiations over the project's commercial terms. The government, which holds a 34% stake in the mine through state-owned Erdenes Mongol LLC, considers the current agreement unfair and is calling for accelerated dividend payments while seeking to increase its share of returns to approximately 60%.

According to a Monday report by the Financial Times, Mongolia was seeking to renegotiate the "unfair" commercial terms of the $18 billion Oyu Tolgoi copper mine owned by mining giant Rio Tinto.The report said Mongolian Prime Minister Gombojavyn Zandanshatar stated at a meeting that the current agreement between the two sides was "unfair."The report said Mongolian government officials would meet with Rio Tinto executives this week to discuss the terms of the deal.