Lynas Rare Earths has secured a 10‑year operating licence for its Kuantan rare earths processing plant in Pahang, Malaysia, locking in long-term capacity for cracking and separation of neodymium-praseodymium and other light rare earth oxides. The approval follows earlier regulatory pressure over low-level radioactive waste from lanthanide concentrate and conditions on waste management and residue storage imposed by Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board. The extended licence, combined with a reported profit surge, reduces near-term risk to Lynas’ supply chain while its Kalgoorlie cracking and leaching plant in Western Australia ramps up.

Victoria’s Government has launched a program to expand domestic critical mineral processing, targeting antimony from the Costerfield mine near Heathcote and other Victorian deposits to reduce reliance on Chinese and Russian supply. The initiative focuses on downstream processing capacity rather than new extraction, aiming to convert locally mined antimony into higher-value products such as antimony trioxide and flame-retardant masterbatches. For miners and processors, this signals potential support for new concentrators, refining circuits and offtake arrangements tied to onshore value-adding.

Sustainable Fitch has reaffirmed Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company’s ESG entity rating at ‘3’ with an overall score of 54/100, up from 51, while upgrading its environmental profile to ‘2’ after the Uzbek gold producer disclosed Scope 2 emissions and set time-bound targets to cut combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 10% by 2030 from 2024 levels. The social profile remains at ‘3’ with no reported labour or community incidents and stable employment, while governance stays at ‘2’ on the back of detailed financial reporting and a formal risk and tax compliance framework. For mine planners and project financiers, the rating trajectory and absence of recorded environmental incidents may support access to ESG-linked capital and influence permitting and stakeholder engagement strategies in Uzbekistan.