April 14, 2026 — South Africa's Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources recently clarified that the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) rules in the mining sector would undergo their fifth revision since 2002. Existing mining rights would be subject to the "once empowered, always empowered" principle for their lifetime, meaning that once an enterprise completed black equity empowerment, it would not need to repeat the process during the validity period of its mining rights. However, when an enterprise applied for the renewal or extension of mining rights, it must ensure that the black shareholding ratio was no less than 26%, and if necessary, a new BEE transaction must be undertaken.

According to foreign media reports, Indian beer producers have warned that beer prices will rise and supplies will be disrupted due to natural gas shortages caused by the Iranian conflict, which has led to delays in aluminum imports needed for canned beer production. India is the world's fourth-largest natural gas importer, with approximately 40% of its demand coming from Qatar, making it highly vulnerable to fuel supply disruptions. The Iranian attacks have disrupted some of Qatar's export capacity, further exacerbating the natural gas supply shortage for Indian manufacturers. Aluminum can suppliers have also warned that aluminum can supplies may decrease before the peak summer beer sales season.

In the long river of history, wires and cables, as the "blood vessels" of modern industry, have played a pivotal role in driving social progress. Since the dawn of electrification pierced the night of industrial civilization, these threads have been like the pulse of the times, delivering vitality and vigor to the global economy. We are in the grand context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where emerging fields such as smart cities, NEVs, and 5G communications are rapidly evolving. As an indispensable infrastructure, the technological innovation and ecosystem construction of the wire and cable industry are particularly urgent. To strengthen communication and cooperation among peers in the wire and cable industry and to respond to future industrial changes, enhance the collaborative exchange of the industry chain, mutual understanding, and gain a more comprehensive understanding of industry-related policy directions and market development, SMM has joined hands with Shandong Alexander Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. to hold the "2025 SMM (3rd) Wire and Cable Industry Development Conference and Wire and Cable Industry Exhibition" on May 22-23, 2025 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Suzhou Wuzhong . The event will delve into the current status and future development trends of the wire and cable industry, promoting cooperation and exchange among related enterprises. We hope that through this conference, the complementary advantages within the industry can be fully utilized to jointly promote the healthy and sustainable development of the wire and cable industry. The conference will feature a series of high-quality forums and exhibitions, not only fostering in-depth cooperation between upstream and downstream sectors of the industry chain but also aiming to drive continuous progress across the entire industry through technological innovation. We look forward to working together with our peers to chart the future development of the industry! Click registration form to sign up immediately, and we look forward to meeting you at the conference. Booth Number: B21 Alexander, the expert in logistics automation solutions for the wire and cable industry Shandong Alexander Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. was founded on June 8, 2015, led by Professor Zhou Jun, a doctoral supervisor at Shandong University. Leveraging university research resources, the company has assembled a high-caliber R&D team, focusing on the development of intelligent robot operating systems and industrial intelligent solutions. With its independently controllable GomROS system as the core, the company benchmarks against international mainstream technologies, supports unified hardware models and component-based development, and covers areas such as smart manufacturing and industrial internet. It is the only domestic enterprise to achieve autonomous development of the underlying architecture of a robot operating system. The company's business spans numerous sectors including intelligent software and hardware, industrial applications, providing customized solutions for more than 20 industries such as fiberglass, cable, and beer. It has implemented projects like the Qingdao Beer AGV, Taishan Fiberglass unmanned quality inspection, XLPE cable pellet automatic packaging logistics, and cable reel automatic AGV transfer, with over 200 cumulative deliveries.As a "key project" unit in artificial intelligence designated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the company has been honored with the first prize of the "China Invention and Entrepreneurship Innovation Award" and other accolades. It holds 27 invention patents (including 3 international ones), 35 software copyrights, and certifications such as ISO9001. The company has deeply promoted the integration of industry and education, and has been selected as a gazelle enterprise and a specialized, sophisticated, unique, and innovative small and medium-sized enterprise in Shandong Province. It continues to drive the intelligent upgrading of China's manufacturing industry through technological innovation. Contact Information Liujiasen, 152 8885 2482 Click here to participate immediately 2025 SMM (3rd) Wire and Cable Industry Development Conference SMM Conference Contact Person Zhang Guozheng 150 2023 8447 zhangguozheng@smm.cn

Polaris ESS Network News: On April 25, a tender announcement was issued for the Intelligent Energy Storage and Dispatch Optimization Demonstration Project for New-Type Power Systems (Virtual Power Plant Construction Project). The current construction scale of the ESS power station is 200MW/800MWh, with the energy storage system composed of 40 parallel 5MW/20.06MWh energy storage units. Leveraging advanced technologies such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, a digital platform will be constructed. The construction scope includes a private cloud virtualized lightweight cloud platform, a virtual power plant, and an intelligent dispatch system. This tender does not accept joint bids. The original announcement is as follows: Tender Announcement for the Intelligent Energy Storage and Dispatch Optimization Demonstration Project for New-Type Power Systems (Virtual Power Plant Construction Project) I. Tender Conditions This Intelligent Energy Storage and Dispatch Optimization Demonstration Project for New-Type Power Systems has been approved for construction by the First Division Development and Reform Commission under the document numbered Shi Shi Fa Gai Fa [2025] No. 145. The project funding comes from the government, and the bid inviter is Nanjiang Energy (Group) Co., Ltd. The project is now ready for tender and is being publicly tendered. II. Project Overview and Tender Scope 1. Implementation region of the tendered project: Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, First Division 2. Construction location of the tendered project: Alar City 3. Project scale: The current construction scale of the ESS power station is 200MW/800MWh, with the energy storage system composed of 40 parallel 5MW/20.06MWh energy storage units. A new 220kV step-up substation with a 240MVA on-load tap-changing main transformer will be constructed. The new 220kV distribution equipment will adopt an outdoor GIS, with a line-transformer group connection. The 35kV section of this project will adopt a single-busbar connection method, with two 35kV sections set up, using 35kV high-voltage switchgear distribution equipment. The ESS power station will be connected to the 220kV substation in Lihua Town at a voltage level of 220kV. The line will be erected as a single-circuit line with a length of 0.6 kilometers, using JL/G1A-300/40 conductors. Leveraging advanced technologies such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, a digital platform will be constructed. The construction scope includes a private cloud virtualized lightweight cloud platform, a virtual power plant, and an intelligent dispatch system. 4. This announcement is divided into 1 section. Section name: Intelligent Energy Storage and Dispatch Optimization Demonstration Project for New-Type Power Systems (Virtual Power Plant Construction Project) Tender scope: The necessary construction works and related services for the Intelligent Energy Storage and Dispatch Optimization Demonstration Project for New-Type Power Systems (Virtual Power Plant Construction Project) (for specific tender contents and scope, please refer to the relevant content in Chapter 5 of the tender documents). Supply period: 365 days III. Bidder Qualification Requirements Bidder conditions: 3.1 Must be an independent legal entity or other organization within the territory of the People's Republic of China, holding a valid business license, with the right to independently enter into contracts, possessing the qualifications of a civil subject and the ability to independently bear civil liability, and having the qualifications for technical services, technology development, technical consulting, technical exchanges, technology transfer, technology promotion, software development, and the technical capability to aggregate distributed power sources, energy storage, and adjustable load resources. It must also have corresponding capabilities in terms of personnel, equipment, funds, and credit. 3.2 Different units with the same person in charge (legal representative) or with controlling or management relationships shall not bid in the same section. For sections in the same project with mutually restrictive relationships (e.g., supervision and being supervised), different units with the same person in charge (legal representative) or with controlling or management relationships shall also not bid in the corresponding sections of the same project. 3.3 The bidding unit needs to provide at least one performance record related to virtual power plants, power plants, or other projects with a security level of Class 2 or above for cybersecurity, smart energy, or generation-grid-load-storage, energy storage EMS systems in the past 3 years (from January 1, 2022, to the present). The date of contract signing shall prevail. Scanned copies of performance contracts must be attached. If the provided materials cannot reflect the required content, the performance will be deemed invalid. Agents participating in the bid may provide authorization from the producer and attach scanned copies of the producer's performance records in China. 3.4 The bidder shall have a good financial status, not being in a state of property being taken over, frozen, or bankrupt. The bidder must provide financial audit reports issued by an audited accounting firm for the past three years (i.e., 2021-2023), including balance sheets, cash flow statements, and income statements. 3.5 The bidder shall meet the reputation requirements: This tender does not accept units listed as dishonest debtors by the Supreme People's Court, as verified by the "Credit China" website (.cn) or the "China Execution Information Disclosure Network" website (http://zxgk.court.gov.cn). 3.6 There shall be no instances in the past 3 years where any contract was terminated due to the bidder's own reasons, such as fraudulent bid winning or serious breach of contract (a commitment shall be provided). 3.7 This tender does not accept joint bids.

LME 3M aluminium prices came under pressure after the U.S. tariff announcement on 2 April, driven by concerns over weakening global demand and rising trade uncertainty. High tariffs are expected to disrupt Southeast Asia’s exports of aluminium products to the U.S., dampening primary aluminium consumption. Risk-off sentiment also led to long liquidation, further weighing on prices.

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it would impose a 25% tariff on all imported beer and include beer and empty aluminum cans in the list of derivative products subject to aluminum tariffs. According to information from the US Department of Commerce in a Federal Register notice, tariffs on beer and empty aluminum cans will take effect from April 4. Data from the US Census Bureau showed that the import value of beer in the US exceeded $7.5 billion in 2024. The primary source of imports was Mexico, with an import value of $6.3 billion last year, followed by the Netherlands, Ireland, and Canada. This move will deal a significant blow to beer imports.

Trump reiterated that the 25% tariff on foreign cars would take effect at midnight, and announced a 25% tariff on all imported beer, while adding beer and empty aluminum cans to the list of derivative products subject to aluminum tariffs. The US Department of Commerce stated that tariffs on beer and empty aluminum cans would be imposed starting April 4. Meanwhile, senior White House officials revealed that the base tariff rate (10%) would take effect in the early hours of April 5, and the reciprocal tariffs would take effect in the early hours of April 9.

SMM Alumina Morning Comment: The weekly operating rate of alumina has been adjusted downward recently. As of last Thursday, according to SMM data, the total operating capacity of metallurgical alumina nationwide decreased to 88.01 million mt/year, but the reduction was limited. According to SMM data, as of last Thursday, the total operating capacity of aluminum domestically was 43.84 million mt/year, translating to an alumina demand operating capacity of around 84.4 million mt/year. Even considering net exports of alumina, the fundamentals still indicate a supply surplus. In the short term, alumina prices may continue to face downward pressure. Going forward, it will be necessary to continuously monitor changes in alumina operating capacity.

【BHP Shelves Plan to Acquire Anglo American: Stock Price Too High!】① BHP has once again abandoned its acquisition of Anglo American Group, as the latter's rising stock price has made the deal too expensive; ② BHP may reconsider making a bid after Anglo American spins off its platinum business. (Cailian Press)

In the global lithium market, radical changes have taken place in recent years. With surging demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and burgeoning needs for advanced batteries. In light of industries moving towards cleaner and more sustainable forms of energy, lithium became one of the most essential commodities in the global supply chain. Similarly, the IEA estimated that global demand for lithium would increase 40 times house equivalent by 2040, thus further highlighting the need to understand the shifting dynamics of supply and demand for the element. This "lithium boom" brings with it great opportunities and serious challenges for businesses, governments, and investors alike.