On the regulatory and legislative front, Brazil enacted a critical minerals law signed by President Lula da Silva that establishes a National Policy on Critical and Strategic Minerals, creates the CIMCE council to review foreign acquisitions and mining-rights transfers, and allocates up to R$7 billion in fiscal support for domestic processing of rare earths, lithium, nickel and graphite. The European Commission separately announced plans to create an EU critical minerals corporation to aggregate demand and stockpile materials including tungsten, rare earths and gallium, though the body has no defined budget, legal structure or start date as of September 17. The United States and Lithuania signed a critical minerals MOU under which Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys committed to jointly identifying priority projects and mobilizing financing within six months.

Canada's policy environment remains active on multiple fronts. Export Development Canada warned that shipping raw minerals without processing costs the country significant value, projecting that a sustained shift to domestic processing of rare earths, graphite, lithium, copper and uranium could add up to C$98 billion annually to the economy by 2035, while identifying capital shortages, skills gaps and infrastructure deficiencies as key barriers; the EDC report also noted that Canada ranked 35th globally in economic complexity in 2024, down from 17th in 1995. Prime Minister Carney's Canada Investment Summit, which preceded the EDC report by two days, saw banks commit billions in resources financing, Ottawa expand mining investment tax deductions and the government back Generation Mining's Marathon copper-palladium project with $140 million, with Teck Resources highlighted as a copper-focused vehicle for investors seeking exposure to Canada's critical-minerals push. Stantec's incoming CEO Susan Reisbord identified tailwinds in Arctic and critical-minerals engineering work, citing a $40 billion Canadian strategic defense investment and growing mining opportunities unlocked by climate-driven changes in the north.

Tungsten attracted the broadest range of corporate and government activity of any single mineral. The US Department of Defense's Economic Defense Unit announced a US$43.4 million antimony facility at Port MacKenzie, Alaska, with approximately 44 containers of processing equipment delivered over Labor Day weekend and domestic antimony production targeted for 2027; the project was positioned as an anchor tenant for Port MacKenzie's nearly 10,000-acre industrial district at an Industry Day attended by close to 100 government and industry representatives, with more than US$100 million in recent infrastructure investment secured for the port. IperionX validated its continuous GenX titanium production furnace at its Virginia facility, reporting that the system achieved a sixfold throughput increase and 75% reduction in energy intensity versus batch processes, processing over 500 kg of titanium powder across four runs totaling 41 hours; the US Army's second SBIR contract awarded to the company enables government agencies to place orders collectively capped at US$99 million for domestic titanium powder-to-part manufacturing capacity.

In Australian supply-chain developments, the Queensland Government welcomed an offtake agreement under which US tin refiner Nathan Trotter & Co will purchase up to 100% of production from Huntore Australia's Mount Garnet polymetallic operation, which is expected to yield up to 3,000 tonnes of tin per year, with Queensland's A$146 million critical-minerals budget allocation cited as supporting the broader extraction and export strategy. Eclipse Metals is advancing uranium and critical-minerals exploration across its Ivittuut project in Greenland and uranium interests in Australia, remaining pre-production and dependent on exploration outcomes and regulatory progress.

In the M&A and corporate-strategy space, 2026 mining transactions are increasingly targeting district consolidation and processing access, exemplified by Boliden's approximately €3.15 billion implied-value agreement to acquire a controlling stake in Nexa Resources, Critical Metals' court-approved US$1.16 billion acquisition of European Lithium to advance the Wolfsberg project in Austria, Elemental Royalty's US$239 million purchase of Vizsla Royalties, First Au's A$46.5 million takeover of Javelin Minerals, and Lithium Argentina's US$180 million Ganfeng investment. In Central Asia, LS Cable & System and LS MnM signed three MOUs on the sidelines of the Korea–Central Asia Five Countries Summit, covering telecommunications, mineral development and rare metals cooperation with Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan respectively. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy separately held talks with a World Economic Forum delegation to explore cooperation on critical mineral supply chains, energy transition and industrial cluster transformation, agreeing to develop a joint cooperation roadmap. An analysis of the Korea–Central Asia Summit outcome noted that Kazakhstan used the meeting to propose an industrial and technological partnership built around localization, technology transfer and export of finished products, shifting the conversation from raw-material access toward value-chain development. Italy's Prime Minister Meloni made the first official Italian visit to Norway in nearly 15 years, with talks focused on deepening energy and critical-minerals cooperation alongside defense and Arctic affairs.

Canada's positioning as a critical minerals supplier to allied nations continued to attract investor attention, with Prime Minister Mark Carney disclosing that Canada has large copper and nickel footprint. The company's Cobre Panamá asset, currently under an independent environmental audit with power plant restart preparations under way, represents a discrete political and permitting variable; a resolution with the Panamanian government could rapidly reduce the risk premium embedded in the stock. Neo Performance Materials, producing rare earth magnetic powders and specialty materials for EV motors, rounds out the EU–Canada critical minerals screen, generating approximately $238 million from its Magnequench segment, $242 million from Rare Metals, and $129 million from Chemicals & Oxides.

On the production side, Jubilee Metals Group reported that its Zambian copper output tripled in the year through June 2026, reaching 3,739 combined pre-refining tonnes against 1,149 tonnes in FY2025, a 225% increase. The Roan operation contributed 2,823 tonnes — a 145.5% rise — and has been assigned FY2027 guidance of 2,850–3,150 tonnes at Roan, premised on throughput of 25,000–30,000 tonnes per month at a feed grade of roughly 1.5%–1.6%. The newly commissioned Molefe mine, which began production in September 2025, contributed 916 tonnes pre-refining but remains outside formal guidance while management tests grade consistency and throughput sustainability toward an intermediate target of 7,000–7,500 run-of-mine tonnes per month. Sable Refinery produced 1,207 cathode tonnes in FY2026, up 17.5%, while combined final products for sale — cathode plus copper sulphide concentrate — totalled 2,120 tonnes, a more modest 1.3% increase, reflecting timing differences between feed delivery and refinery throughput.

Parabellum Resources (ASX:PBL) has completed an parabellum Resources Delivers Initial Mineral.

E3 Lithium has upsized its equity offering to C$10 million following strong investor demand, amending its agreement with agents to sell approximately 11.12 million units at C$0.90 each, with each unit comprising one common share and a warrant exercisable at C$1.10 for 36 months; an overallotment option covering up to 1.67 million additional units was also granted, with closing expected around 24 September, and net proceeds directed to the Clearwater project in south-central Alberta. JPMorgan has initiated Sigma Lithium coverage overweight, signaling fresh institutional interest in Brazilian lithium producers. Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile drew investor attention after reporting record lithium sales volumes and advancing environmental permitting for the Salar Futuro project, with its share price at US$71.80 against a widely cited fair-value estimate of US$84.78, while expansion of capacity at Mt. Holland and the Kwinana refinery in Australia and continued Chilean project investment underpin long-term volume growth projections.

POSCO Group is accelerating its Triple-Core strategy encompassing steel, lithium and battery materials, and energy, with a two-day forum convening on 17 September at its Songdo R&D Center to define execution measures; Chairman Chang In-hwa prioritised steel localization, securing early positions in lithium and rare earth markets, and using the energy business as a buffer, with cathode materials, anode materials and LNG also identified as strategic pillars. OCP Green Energy has energised a 25 MW/125 MWh LFP system at Benguerir, representing Morocco's first large-scale lithium iron phosphate battery storage installation; the nearly 170 million-dirham project, backed by $20 million from the Clean Technology Fund via the African Development Bank, will operate on a daily charge-discharge cycle alongside a 67 MWp solar plant and is expected to cut peak electricity costs by 25% once fully commissioned.

Southwest Research Institute has developed a method assessing Na-ion and Li-ion interchangeability, enabling determination of when sodium-ion technology can deliver comparable electrical performance to lithium-ion for defined applications. On the regulatory and safety front, a hazmat consultant is set to address on-site storage regulatory gaps at the CHEMTREC International Hazmat Summit on 21 September, noting that while transportation of lithium batteries operates under mature frameworks such as 49 CFR, IATA, and IMDG codes, on-site storage remains fragmented across fire codes, NFPA standards, and local authority interpretations; the 2024 International Fire Code introduced dedicated lithium-ion storage requirements, and the forthcoming NFPA 800 Battery Safety Code remains under development. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has issued a public warning over battery fires following a regional increase in incidents involving damaged or improperly charged lithium-ion devices. A separate investigation found that a Tennessee homeowner's property was destroyed by a solar light battery failure, with forensic analysis identifying a lithium-ion battery in a decorative solar fixture as the most consistent ignition source; investigators noted the product lacked UL certification and carried no lithium-ion disclosure on its labeling.

The Philippines joined Pax Silica in April as its 13th country to sign, a US-led initiative to secure supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors, green energy, and AI data centers, with the Luzon Economic Corridor projected to attract USD 40–70 billion in investments and more than 130,000 jobs from over 30 interested companies. Taiwan's trade promotion chief, speaking at the sidelines of Taiwan Expo 2026 in Manila, stated that Taiwanese firms are positioned to partner on AI infrastructure and described the Philippines as having the potential to become a semiconductor packaging center within Southeast Asia.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority earmarked approximately 1,620 hectares in New Clark City, Tarlac, for the proposed hub, with supporting water and energy infrastructure expected to require up to an additional 21,000 hectares across Tarlac, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija, raising concerns over agricultural land conversion and the displacement of Indigenous and rural communities amid an absence of public consultation. The hub's projected daily water demand of 130 MLD—equivalent to consumption by 650,000 households—would pressure water security in the country's top rice-producing region, and environmental advocates argue that proposed rainwater harvesting reservoirs are insufficient and would occupy an additional 390 to 780 hectares. Semiconductor manufacturing also generates wastewater containing heavy metals, solvents, and PFAS, and factories require ultrapure water that limits recycling rates.

On the energy side, the hub is projected to demand 3 GW of electricity daily—roughly 18 percent of Luzon grid capacity—while current renewable energy commitments fall short of that figure. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources confirmed that no environmental impact assessment had been processed as of August 26, despite a proposed contract signing scheduled for November 2026. In the Senate, Resolution No. 571 was filed urging assessment of impacts and a review of whether existing laws are adequate to regulate the project. President Marcos defended the initiative on grounds of jobs, investment, and technology transfer, while the Science and Technology Secretary clarified that the project centers on chip production supporting AI rather than data centers, which he said would reduce water requirements.

China's rare-earth export-control suspension is approaching a critical juncture, with the pause on six October 2025 announcements set to expire on November 10 decision point — after which Beijing must extend, modify, or allow the measures to resume. The underlying legal framework remains intact even during the pause, and earlier controls on seven medium and heavy rare earths — including dysprosium, terbium, yttrium, and samarium — remain fully in force. One suspended measure would extend reach beyond China's borders, applying to foreign-produced goods containing at least 0.1% Chinese-origin controlled rare-earth content by value, broadening compliance obligations for manufacturers worldwide. Compounding formal policy risk, several Chinese suppliers have independently halted U.S. shipments since early August even where export licences were available, indicating that commercial risk assessments are tightening faster than official rules. The episode exposes a structural vulnerability: China holds an estimated 85–90% of global rare-earth separation and refining capacity, while U.S. and European capacity combined accounts for only roughly 6–7% of global separation — leaving Western manufacturers dependent on Chinese midstream infrastructure even as mine-level geography diversifies.

On the supply-side innovation front, a Worcester Polytechnic Institute-led research team has received a If you were forwarded this message and want to receive the Critical Minerals Briefing directly to your inbox daily, subscribe today at: www.criticalmineralsbriefing.policyintelpro.com. Subscribers can also choose delivery through our private Substack and Slack channels.