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.

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.

Rock Tech Lithium and Siemens Canada have signed a non-binding MoU to deploy Siemens’ Digital Twin technology across design, construction and operation of Rock Tech’s planned lithium converter at Red Rock, Ontario, modelled on its fully permitted, shovel-ready Guben converter in Germany. The Red Rock plant is planned for up to 32,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent, enough to supply about 900,000 electric vehicles annually, and would be Ontario’s first lithium conversion facility. Using the Guben blueprint is intended to compress development timelines, cut technical risk and improve capital efficiency for Canada’s midstream critical minerals capacity.