Critical Minerals Mining Projects

Mining projects are the starting point for every critical mineral supply chain, and the pipeline of new mine development is larger and more geographically diverse today than at any point in the past two decades. Driven by policy mandates, technology demand, and investor interest, hundreds of mining projects targeting lithium, rare earths, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, vanadium, and other critical materials are progressing through exploration, resource definition, feasibility studies, permitting, and construction worldwide. The trajectory of these projects will determine whether the world can produce enough raw materials to support the energy transition without creating new bottlenecks and dependencies.

Lithium Mining Projects

Lithium mine development is concentrated in Australia, Argentina, Chile, Canada, and the United States, reflecting the geographic distribution of commercially viable hard rock spodumene and brine deposits. In Australia, projects like Liontown Resources' Kathleen Valley mine in Western Australia have progressed through construction with production ramp-up underway, targeting spodumene concentrate output for conversion to lithium hydroxide. Patriot Battery Metals is advancing its Shaakichiuwaanaan (formerly Corvette) project in Quebec, one of the largest hard rock lithium discoveries in recent years. In Argentina, the Kachi project by Lake Resources and the Sal de Vida project by Allkem (now part of Arcadium Lithium) are developing brine extraction using both conventional evaporation and direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies.

North American lithium development has accelerated significantly. Ioneer's Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada is notable for producing both lithium and boron from a sedimentary deposit. Lithium Americas is developing the Thacker Pass project in Nevada, one of the largest known lithium deposits in North America, though it has faced legal challenges from environmental groups and Native American tribes. In Europe, Savannah Resources is advancing the Barroso lithium project in Portugal, and European Lithium is developing the Wolfsberg project in Austria. These European projects face intensive environmental scrutiny and community engagement requirements that can extend development timelines but also ensure higher ESG standards. For more on how these mining projects fit into the broader supply chain, see mining operations.

Rare Earth Mining Projects

Rare earth mine development outside China is a top strategic priority for Western governments seeking to break China's dominance of the rare earth supply chain. The most advanced project outside of established producers is Hastings Technology Metals' Yangibana project in Western Australia, targeting neodymium and praseodymium production from a monazite-hosted deposit. Arafura Rare Earths is developing the Nolans project in the Northern Territory of Australia, which aims to produce separated rare earth oxides through an integrated mine-and-processing operation. In North America, Ucore Rare Metals is advancing the Bokan Mountain project in Alaska, while Vital Metals has commenced mining at the Nechalacho project in the Northwest Territories, Canada.

Greenland Minerals has been developing the Kvanefjeld rare earth and uranium project in Greenland, though it faces significant political opposition from the Greenland government, which has banned uranium mining. Peak Rare Earths is advancing the Ngualla project in Tanzania, and Rainbow Rare Earths is developing the Phalaborwa project in South Africa, which would recover rare earths from historical mining waste. These projects collectively represent the most significant pipeline of rare earth mining capacity outside China in decades, though many face the challenge of securing downstream processing capacity. Raw rare earth concentrates have limited value without access to separation and refining infrastructure, most of which remains in China. For background on this bottleneck, see rare earth separation.

Nickel and Cobalt Mining Projects

Nickel mine development is heavily concentrated in Indonesia, which has leveraged its massive laterite nickel resources and a ban on raw ore exports to attract billions of dollars in Chinese investment for integrated mining and smelting operations. The Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park, jointly developed by Tsingshan Holding Group and partners, represents one of the largest nickel development complexes in the world. Outside Indonesia, BHP is expanding its Nickel West operations in Western Australia, and Canada Nickel Company is developing the Crawford project in Ontario, one of the largest undeveloped nickel sulfide deposits in the world.

Cobalt project development is complicated by the metal's status as primarily a byproduct of copper and nickel mining, meaning dedicated cobalt mining projects are rare. The most significant new cobalt supply is expected to come from expanded copper-cobalt operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where companies like Ivanhoe Mines (through its Kamoa-Kakula copper complex) are producing cobalt as a byproduct. Fortune Minerals is developing the NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper project in the Northwest Territories of Canada, one of the few primary cobalt projects outside Africa. For understanding of how cobalt's byproduct nature creates byproduct risk, see our criticality frameworks section.

Graphite and Other Critical Mineral Mines

Graphite mining projects are expanding in Mozambique, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Canada as demand for battery anode materials grows. Syrah Resources' Balama mine in Mozambique is already the largest natural graphite mine outside China. Nouveau Monde Graphite is developing the Matawinie project in Quebec with integrated mining and anode material production. Northern Graphite is expanding production from its Lac des Iles mine in Quebec and developing additional deposits in Ontario and Namibia.

Manganese, vanadium, and titanium mining projects are also advancing to meet forecast demand growth. South32 is a major manganese producer in Australia and South Africa. Largo Resources produces vanadium from its Maracas Menchen mine in Brazil. Iluka Resources is developing its rare earth refinery alongside continued production of mineral sands including zircon and titanium feedstocks. The diversity of mining projects under development reflects the breadth of materials classified as critical by governments worldwide and the scale of investment needed to build diversified supply chains for the energy transition.

Permitting and Development Challenges

Mining project development faces formidable challenges in virtually every jurisdiction. Permitting timelines in the United States average seven to ten years for new mining projects, compared to two to three years in many developing countries. Environmental impact assessments, community consultation requirements, water rights negotiations, indigenous land rights, and litigation risk all contribute to delays that can make or break project economics. The tension between the urgency of building new critical mineral supply and the legitimate need for environmental and social protections is one of the defining policy challenges of the energy transition. For more on this tension, see strategic projects and permitting.