(Mining Weekly) – The federal government on Friday approved nearly A$50-million in grants to accelerate the development of the critical minerals industry in the country, as part of efforts to reach net zero.
The project will also produce 300,000 t/y of elemental sulphur, which will reduce Australia’s dependence on imports for fertiliser production.
(The Wall Street Journal) - Surging prices for lithium are intensifying a race between auto makers to lock up supplies and raising concerns that a shortage of the battery metal could slow the adoption of electric vehicles.
(The Wall Street Journal) - Soaring profits at oil companies and miners are making earnings look better than the reality of the rest of the stock market, and distorting Wall Street’s favorite valuation tool, the ratio of price to forecast earnings.
(Argus) - Chinese demand for medium sulphur anode-grade petroleum coke may increase in the coming years as battery manufacturers — regular consumers of ultra-low sulphur sponge and needle coke — aim to relax specifications to meet growing cost-cutting pressure.
(News.Sky) - A fleet of 125 military air-to-air refuelling tankers would release a cloud of microscopic sulphur dioxide particles at an altitude of 43,000ft (13km) and a latitude of 60 degrees in both hemispheres, slightly shading the Earth's surface beneath.
(Auto Evolution) - Right now, the goal of our society is to limit the use of fossil fuels as part of our energy mix and industrial future. The move might be good and bad at the same time, as this risks cutting away the primary source of sulfur, a mineral used in many fields, including mining critical battery materials.
(Reuters Events) - While fertilizer inventories saw some increases and demand showed some softening in mid-2022, reduced nitrogen availability combined with weather events will not only keep supply tight but test food security and may create instability.
(Wall Street Journal) - Wind and solar projects, viable on their own, still sell offsets to polluters, say critics. With its 34 turbines perched on a hill in southwestern India, the Tuppadahalli wind farm generates green energy and profits.
(Wall Street Journal) - Let's come right out and say it: Anyone who still thinks climate change is a greater threat than climate policy to financial stability deserves to be exiled to a peat-burning yurt in the wilderness. Lest you've forgotten, the world's central banks and other regulators are in the middle of a major push to introduce various forms of climate stress testing into their oversight.
(Hellenic Shipping News) - Dry bulker and container freight rates have continued to fall over the past three months. Due to the seasonality of the market, dry bulk freight rates would typically peak in the third quarter; however, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence's latest dry bulk freight market outlook, the second quarter would likely be the peak of 2022.
(Railway Age) - A report released on Sept. 8 by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has found that a nationwide rail shutdown would "dramatically impact economic output" and could cost more than $2 billion per day.
(MarineLink) - A tanker of U.S. sour crude was delivered at Germany's port of Rostock last week for the first time ever, according to sources, analysts and vessel tracking data, as local refiners test alternatives to Russian oil.
(Mining) - Global battery and minerals supply chains need to expand ten-fold to meet projected critical minerals needs by 2030, a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has found.
(Wall Street Journal) Hailed as the Saudi Arabia of lithium, this California- sized chunk of terrain accounts for some 55% of the world’s known deposits of the metal, a key component in electric-vehicle batteries.
(Reuters) - Earlier this summer, four European countries agreed to develop coordinated offshore transmission links, showing how rising renewable energy targets are accelerating plans for an offshore wind grid across northern Europe.
(AG Web) - Soy-based asphalt technology discovered by accident at Iowa State University will be nationally available for commercial use next year. Researchers, who have been testing the product for roughly a decade, recently launched SoyLei Innovations, which is developing the rejuvenator product, which is a compound made of soybean oil that is mixed with recycled asphalt.
(The Maritime Executive) - To head off the supply-chain impact of a railway strike, U.S. President Joe Biden has established a presidential emergency board to help resolve a labor dispute between Class I rail carriers and their unionized workforce. The decision averts a possible large-scale labor action, which could have started as early as Monday.
(Vigor Times) - Governments around the world are offering rich subsidies and incentives to producers of hydrogen energy, which many see as a holy grail. Companies are equally excited: Hundreds of projects worth at least $600 billion have been announced. Estimates suggest demand could increase up to tenfold by midcentury.
(Drought.gov) - Extreme heat and dryness in the Southern Plains and Missouri/Arkansas led to another week of major degradations. However, parts of the Midwest (which have been experiencing flash drought) and the Southeast saw good rain and improvements. As of July 19, 2022, 44.57% of the U.S. and 51.87% of the lower 48 states are in drought.
(Port Technology) - The foundation has set itself the goal of making green hydrogen acceptable as an energy substitute in Europe – thereby advancing the energy transition and independence from Russian gas supplies.
(Freight Waves) Bitter cold and strong winter storms could impact rail operations over the next several days, according to service advisories from several U.S. Class I railroads.
Yahoo Finance - February 9, 2021
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its final determination that phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco and Russia are unfairly subsidized. Commerce calculated a subsidy rate of 19.97 percent for Moroccan producer OCP. In the Russia investigation, Commerce calculated rates of 9.19 percent and 47.05 percent for PhosAgro and EuroChem, respectively, and a rate of 17.2 percent for all other producers/exporters
CNN Business - February 8, 2021
While oil and gas will certainly be needed for decades to come, the oil and gas division may not be Chevron's top business in 20 years, although it will still be a very big part of the U.S. supermajor's operations, chief executive Michael Wirth told CNN Business in an interview published on Monday.
The NAR Grand Slam Award is presented annually to companies that are exemplary shippers of hazardous materials. An award winner must have been recognized by at least four Class I railroads and have had zero non-accident releases involving their shipments the previous calendar year. HJ Baker Sulphur LLC and ExxonMobil Corp received the award for calendar year 2019.
April 30, 2020 – [From Ioneer's Newsletter] Yesterday we announced the outcomes of our Definitive Feasibility Study (’DFS’) for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada (‘Project’). This is an exciting and critical milestone for ioneer. The DFS places Rhyolite Ridge as the single most attractive Project for the economic production of lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and boric acid globally. Rhyolite Ridge is truly a world class asset with strong Project economics...
Jan 9, 2020 – CN and NorFalco Sales have signed a new multiyear agreement that will provide freight transportation of sulphuric acid from NorFalco's rail-served production facilities in Sudbury, Ontario, and Rouyn-Noranda and Valleyfield, Quebec.
Jan 3, 2020 – Lithium Americas recently released their 2019 Year in Review collection of the best photos and key milestones from Lithium Americas. Please find it here: 2019 Year in Review. For more information on the geology of the Thacker Pass Project, please check-out this interview with Lithium Americas’ Lead Geologist, Dr. Tom Benson, who recently presented new research on the origin of lithium deposits at the 100th Annual American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco.
Shelton, Conn., June 24, 2019 – H.J. Baker & Bro., LLC, a global manufacturer and supplier in the animal health and nutrition and sulphur industries, announced today that it has acquired Oxbow Sulphur and its international affiliates, effective June 21, 2019.