Mining at the New Strategic Frontier
The September issue of Skillings Mining Review looks at an industry being reshaped by three forces: the race for critical
minerals, the economics of supply, and the rapid adoption of technology across the mining value chain. Our critical-minerals focus examines how countries and compa nies are responding to supply-chain vulnerabilities. From Aramco and Ma’aden’s Saudi ambitions and Coal India’s first overseas office in Singapore to Korea’s copper strategy and America’s push towards mine-to-magnet capability, the compe tition for strategic resources is becoming increasingly global.
We also explore the emerging value of secondary resources, from black mass and mining waste to new approaches for
recovering rare earths and other critical minerals. Technology and innovation form the second pillar of this issue. AI-enabled iron-ore processing, chromatography-based rare-earth separation, advanced mine-planning software, integrated operations centres and the world’s deepest raise-bored PGM shaft demonstrate how technology is changing the way mines are designed, operated and optimised.
The third theme is economic resilience. The US$90 iron-ore test, collapsing copper treatment charges, gold’s capital cross
roads and the projected US$50 billion underground mining equipment market examine the pressures shaping investment
and profitability. Together, these stories highlight a fundamen tal shift: the future of mining will depend not only on what the
industry can extract, but on how intelligently, efficiently and strategically it can develop the resources the world needs.
