Westwin Elements and commodities trader Traxys have agreed amended and restated feedstock and nickel offtake contracts that could run for up to 22 years, with the offtake alone worth about $3.96 billion at current prices. The framework secures long-term supply of mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) to Westwin’s planned class 1 nickel refinery at the Belwood Industrial Site in Natchez, Mississippi, and sales of refined nickel briquettes. Westwin will scale from its 20-tonne-per-year nickel carbonyl demonstration plant in Lawton, Oklahoma, with the extended tenor expected to support project financing and US supply chain security.

An updated preliminary economic assessment nearly doubles the post-tax NPV of Aclara Resources’ Penco Module ionic clay rare earths project in Chile to C$344 million, despite initial capex rising to C$244 million and the discount rate increasing from 5% to 8%. The mine life is extended to 17 years with a 26.1% IRR, processing 30.8 million tonnes and producing a “super pure” carbonate grading about 6% dysprosium, 0.8% terbium, 54.5% yttrium and 4.2% gadolinium. Measured and indicated resources now stand at 35.8 million tonnes at 2,095 ppm TREO, with construction targeted for completion in 2028 and integration into Aclara’s planned Dynamo processing plant in Louisiana.

Military Metals has regained its Trojárová exploration licence in Slovakia until 18 October 2030 after the Environment Ministry ruled a May cancellation unlawful, confirming all conditions for a four-year extension were met. The Pezinok-area underground project hosts 6.5 million inferred tonnes grading 1.02% Sb and 1.06 g/t Au (about 67,000 tonnes antimony and 222,000 oz gold) based on 53 diamond drillholes totalling 7,167 m plus underground chip sampling, replacing communist-era data. Mining still needs full environmental assessment and separate production approvals, with planned work on wastewater management and mineral processing in collaboration with the Technical University of Košice.