Graphite One has secured a Conneaut, Ohio site from Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad (CN subsidiary) for its Active Anode Materials facility, gaining direct Lake Erie port access, multi-line CN rail, an on-site substation and room to scale. The staged build-out targets an initial 25,000‑tonne module, ultimately 100,000 tonnes per year of anode material, supplied by the post‑feasibility Graphite Creek deposit in Alaska with a planned 20‑year mine life and backed by up to US$2 billion in potential EXIM funding. A separate Ohio finishing and blending plant aims for Q4 2027 completion with 10,000 t/y initial capacity, split into 4,000 t energy storage, 3,000 t fast‑charging and 3,000 t high‑energy‑density graphite products for lithium‑ion batteries.

Gold may retreat from about $4,500/oz. towards $4,000/oz. as Jeffrey Currie, former Goldman Sachs commodities chief and now Abaxx Markets executive co-chairman, stays tactically short, citing forced central bank sales such as Turkey’s roughly 120 tonnes of disposals to fund higher energy costs. Currie still targets a long-term move towards $10,000/oz., arguing that once central banks turn dovish after an energy-driven growth shock, the trade “resets”. He links this to a broader commodity super cycle driven by capex starvation and an estimated $820 billion of 2026 spending by the “Magnificent 7 plus Oracle”.

SANY has unveiled its SKT145Ei electric unmanned wide body mining truck at the Global Mining Key Customer Summit in Xi’an, where more than 700 delegates signed equipment orders exceeding 5 billion yuan. The SKT145Ei combines a battery-electric drivetrain with autonomous haulage capability, targeting short- to medium-haul open-pit operations that currently rely on diesel wide body trucks. For mine planners and geotechnical teams, the shift to unmanned electric haulage tightens requirements on road geometry, berm design and traffic management to support consistent autonomous operation.