Buffalo Potash has secured Saskatchewan approval to complete construction and operate its Disley initial production module, a 125,000 t/y soluble-grade potash facility 50 km northwest of Regina using a patented horizontal line-drive brine circulation method through parallel horizontal wells. The C$41.5 million module will test selective underground dissolution of potassium chloride with sodium-chloride-saturated brine and supply local agriculture, drilling-fluid markets and potassium-chloride brine for regional oilfields, ahead of planned 500,000 t/y Disley East and West expansions to about 1.13 Mt/y. The permit, which runs to 30 April and excludes future modules, requires groundwater characterisation, air-quality compliance and financial assurance, while the project proceeds without a feasibility study or declared reserves, elevating technical and economic risk.

Exiro Minerals, Orion Resource Partners and Canada Growth Fund have acquired an 81.1% stake in Vale’s Thompson nickel operations in northern Manitoba, committing up to US$200 million to sustain and develop the six-decade-old complex. The new vehicle, Exiro Nickel, takes over day-to-day control of two operating underground mines, the adjacent concentrator and exploration ground along the 135 km Thompson Nickel Belt, while Vale Base Metals retains an 18.9% interest. A multi-year offtake agreement keeps Vale buying nickel concentrate from the Thompson mill, providing a defined outlet for future production.

US government-backed Project Vault is preparing up to $1 billion in loans for more than a dozen US OEMs in a first tranche, using its VaultCo-managed stockpiling facility to secure critical minerals, processed alloys, powders and specialised magnets against future supply disruptions. The scheme sits on a $10 billion EXIM Bank loan plus nearly $2 billion in private capital, including $500 million each from Glencore and Mercuria, with Mercuria already delivering 12,000 tonnes of Congolese copper into the reserve. More than 70 companies are in talks, signalling strong demand for tailored, manufacturer-specified inventories rather than generic strategic stockpiles.