Welcome back to your weekly mining news recap, where we catch you up on some of the news you may have missed. This week’s headlines include Denison Mines securing final federal approval for its in-situ recovery uranium mine in Saskatchewan, Rio Tinto obtaining a majority stake in Nemaska Lithium, and Sherritt International suspending its Cuban nickel operations.

Canada released its first Defence Industrial Strategy on Tuesday, backed by $81.8 billion in Budget 2025 funding, to strengthen domestic manufacturing, secure critical mineral supply chains and bolster northern infrastructure. The document noted mining and processing of critical minerals offer “substantial economic growth potential while directly strengthening national security.”

Wheaton Precious Metals inked a US$4.3 billion deal to acquire future silver output from BHP’s stake in the Antamina copper-zinc mine in Peru. The mine, jointly owned by BHP, Glencore, Teck and Mitsubishi, will deliver BHP’s 33.75 per cent share of silver to Wheaton up to 100 million ounces, above which the stream will drop to 22.5 per cent for the remainder of the mine’s life. 

The Ontario government is fast-tracking Kinross Gold’s Great Bear gold project under its “One Project, One Process” framework, Mining.com reported. Located near Red Lake, the project has an estimated initial mine life of 12 years, consisting of both underground workings and two open pits. Major construction is expected to start in 2027, with production planned for 2029. The project joins Canada Nickel’s Crawford nickel project and Frontier Lithium’s Pakeagama lithium project in the province’s accelerated permitting program.

Denison Mines received final federal approval on Thursday from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to construct the Phoenix in-situ recovery uranium mine at its Wheeler River project in Saskatchewan. Denison said that Phoenix, Canada’s first uranium mine to gain approval for in-situ recovery, is construction-ready with first production expected by mid-2028. 

Rio Tinto has taken 53.9 per cent majority ownership of Nemaska Lithium in Quebec, with the Quebec government assuming the remaining stake, The Globe and Mail reported. Together, the company and the province plan to invest over US$500 million this year to advance Nemaska’s integrated lithium operations—encompassing the Whabouchi spodumene mine and the Bécancour lithium hydroxide processing plant—with lithium hydroxide production targeted for 2028.

Hudbay Minerals announced it had  received the permits for the New Ingerbelle expansion project at its Copper Mountain mine in south-central British Columbia. The approval follows last week's announcement that the miner had worked out participation agreements with two local First Nations. The company stated the expansion will give Hudbay access to higher-grade gold mineralization with a lower stripping ratio than it currently has at the mine.

Sherritt International announced on Tuesday that it will halt operations at its Moa nickel mine in Cuba this week and put its processing plant on standby due to a U.S. oil blockade and fuel shortages, The Globe and Mail reported. The company anticipates that its Fort Saskatchewan refinery in Alberta, which processes material from its Cuban operations into finished nickel and cobalt, will be impacted, but existing inventory will sustain production until mid-April.

Vale Base Metals has found partners to invest in its Thompson nickel complex in Manitoba. Early last year, the company began exploring the possibility of selling the asset, but this week announced it will partner with Exiro Minerals, Orion Resource Partners and Canada Growth Fund to form a new company called Exiro Nickel Company, investing up to $280 million to support operations.

Some companies released fourth quarter and year-end results this week, including  Artemis Gold, B2Gold, BHP, Centerra Gold, Coeur Mining, Eldorado Gold, Equinox Gold, Hudbay Minerals, Iamgold, Kinross Gold, Newmont, Nutrien, Pan American Silver, Taseko Mines, Teck, Torex Gold and Triple Flag Precious Metals

New flotation technologies are improving the recovery of fine, ultra-fine and coarse particles, enhancing concentrate grades and, in some cases, reducing energy and water use, Tijana Mitrovic reported for CIM Magazine. High-intensity pneumatic cells and advanced downcomer designs can increase particle-bubble collisions, while digital monitoring platforms can track froth, reagents and equipment in real time. These innovations can optimize circuit performance, reduce plant footprint and capital intensity and help miners process increasingly complex ores more efficiently.

That’s all for this week. If you’ve got feedback, you can always reach us at editor@cim.org. If you’ve got something to add, why not join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram pages?