The Philippines Department of Energy ('DOE') is accelerating the grid entry of 12 solar projects totaling 1,284 MW for April operation. This move aims to mitigate the impact of Middle East developments on global oil markets. These solar installations, alongside 10 other renewable projects, will bring 1,471 MW of accelerated capacity online. The 'DOE' is actively coordinating with grid and regulatory bodies to resolve interconnection, inspection, and registration requirements to prevent delays. This rapid deployment supports the nation's target of a 35% renewable energy share by 2030 and follows recent plans to auction an additional 25 GW of green energy capacity by 2035 under its flagship auction program.

[SMM Zinc Morning Comment] Overnight, SHFE zinc posted a bullish candlestick with no upper shadow, with support from the 5/10-day daily average below. Driven by the LME market overnight, zinc prices fluctuated upward, but on the fundamentals side, April production at China's domestic smelters is expected to increase by more than 10,000 mt MoM. At elevated zinc prices, downstream enterprises showed lower purchasing enthusiasm, inventory destocking slowed down, and weak domestic fundamentals are expected to limit its upside. Focus on......

Baogang Group Mine Research Institute announced that “Xianhua Lan-niobate,” discovered under the institute’s leadership, had been officially approved as a new mineral by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association, with the international number IMA2025-087. This is the 29th new mineral discovered in the Bayan Obo deposit, the world’s largest rare earth deposit.This mineral is a rare rare earth–niobate mineral occurring in the East Mine and the eastern contact zone of the Bayan Obo deposit. Its discovery is of significant scientific value for studying the multi-stage, multi-episode hydrothermal superimposed mineralization process of the Bayan Obo deposit, as well as the mechanisms of global rare earth–niobium enrichment.

According to market sources, the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) concludes its first definitive quarter today with multiple unresolved administrative hurdles. The EU Commission is set to announce the initial CBAM certificate price on April 7, yet country-specific default values remain flawed, hindering reliable cost calculations. Furthermore, the tender for the central trading platform has faced delays, and a backlog of nearly 10,000 companies awaits registration. The system's viability is further challenged by a severe lack of certified emissions validation bodies and looming changes to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) benchmarks, which directly dictate CBAM pricing structures and future allocations.

[SMM Tin Morning Briefing: The Most-Traded SHFE Tin Contract Rebounded Rapidly After Opening Sharply Lower in the Night Session, While Downstream Players Remained Mostly Cautious in the Face of High Prices and Fluctuations]

On March 27, at the “Forum on Innovative Development of Cross-Border Data Flows” of the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference, CAAM and the Beijing Representative Office of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Cross-Border Automotive Data Flows and Advancing High-Quality Industry Development. Upholding the principles of complementary advantages, resource sharing, mutually reinforcing development, and win-win cooperation, the two sides will strengthen policy exchanges in the field of cross-border automotive data flows, promote innovative applications of digital technologies to empower cross-border automotive data flows, facilitate positive interaction between regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders, and provide automakers with more opportunities for cooperation and development.

The General Office of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government issued the Implementation Plan of Guangzhou for Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Artificial Intelligence Industry. It proposed focusing on advancing the R&D and promotion of intelligent hardware products such as intelligent connected vehicles, intelligent unmanned systems, whole-home intelligent terminals, intelligent wearable devices, industrial intelligent terminals, and brain-computer interfaces; promoting the application of large in-vehicle edge-side models; and supporting the development of AIoT systems featuring collaboration among home appliances, central control systems, and sensors. It also called for advancing the commercialization of embodied AI robots, supporting enterprises in independently developing core parts, and expanding the application of intelligent robots in fields such as industrial manufacturing, household services, and healthcare.

This week (March 13, 2026–March 19, 2026), multiple enterprises in the solid-state battery sector were active: Dali Times commenced construction of a 2 GWh specialized semi-solid-state battery base; EVE’s Longquan Phase III/IV all-solid-state batteries rolled off the line in Chengdu; Chery released its 600 Wh/kg Rhino all-solid-state battery technology。

Recently, two hydrogen-powered excavators, two hydrogen-powered loaders, and four hydrogen-powered wide-body mining trucks were officially put into operation in the Jinshan mining area, marking the implementation of the integrated “production, storage, refueling, transportation, and use” layout of Daye’s hydrogen energy industry in the application segment. This achieved the large-scale use of hydrogen-powered heavy engineering equipment in mining areas across China and injected new momentum into the green, low-carbon transformation of mines. As core equipment developed by Taiyuan Heavy Machinery, the TZ350EH hydrogen-powered excavator and TZ958EH hydrogen-powered loader worked in coordination with hydrogen-powered wide-body mining trucks, covering the entire process of mining, loading, and transportation. The equipment emitted only pure water, thoroughly improving the operating environment of traditional mining areas. This batch of hydrogen-powered equipment was deeply optimized for the complex working conditions of mines, with prominent core advantages: the hydrogen-powered excavator featured zero emissions and low noise, and could operate at full load after just five minutes of hydrogen refueling; the hydrogen-powered loader integrated hydrogen power with heavy-load performance and, equipped with proprietary technology, reduced consumption and improved efficiency; the hydrogen-powered wide-body mining truck offered fast energy replenishment, a high energy recovery rate, and excellent low-temperature starting performance, laying a solid foundation for green transportation. This large-scale deployment enabled hydrogen-powered equipment to undergo practical verification in real mining scenarios. It not only opened up a new path for the clean replacement of mining equipment, but also stabilized market demand for upstream hydrogen production, storage, and transportation, promoted coordinated development across the upstream and downstream segments of the hydrogen energy industry chain, and provided a replicable and scalable practical model for transforming traditional mining areas into green and intelligent mines.

A landslide occurred in the Saffi copper-cobalt mining area in the DRC, and at least 12 artisanal miners were tragically killed. According to the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Assistance and Supervision Service, heavy rainfall destabilized the ground, triggering the landslide that buried workers at the mining site. As of press time, 9 bodies had been recovered, and rescue teams were still searching for other victims who might have been trapped beneath the debris.