Canada will have to fast-track energy and mining projects if it is to help its democratic allies and achieve its own net-zero ambitions, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a speech this week in Washington — the most tangible signal to date that the federal Liberal government is prepared to address regulatory hurdles that have hampered economic development in this country for years…In a swing through the U.S. capital to attend meetings of the IMF and World Bank, Freeland told a gathering at the Brookings Institution that a deepening of trade ties between allied democracies will be necessary to combat powerful autocratic regimes such as Russia and China. Democracies, Freeland said, must make a conscious effort to build supply chains through each other’s economies — a phenomenon U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has described as “friendshoring.”…Freeland went on to say the Canadian government must be prepared to expend some “domestic political capital” in the name of economic security for its democratic partners — as Europe did during the COVID pandemic when European vaccine makers honoured their contracts with non-European allies…Freeland’s pronouncement set off a shockwave in Canada, surprising some trade experts and drawing praise from energy and mining groups who have been pushing for more regulatory certainty to encourage investment in Canada’s natural resource sector…It’s not yet clear what steps the federal government is prepared to take to improve the process, though Freeland’s remarks have some precedent…Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has said that the federal government hopes to align regulatory and permitting processes to “speed up” the rate at which projects are built through so-called Regional Energy and Resource Tables. The tables would bring together federal, provincial and Indigenous partners to identify and accelerate resource projects — though, critically, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have not yet signed on to the process. So far, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Price Edward Island, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon have all agreed to join the regional tables initiative…Still, Canadian industry groups have welcomed the deputy prime minister’s recent comments, urging the government to use the tools at its disposal to move critical minerals and energy projects forward more quickly.

China's leading nonferrous metal manufacturer Jinchuan Group has made remarkable achievements in industrial upgrading, technological innovation and overseas cooperation and expansion over the past 10 years…Headquartered in Jinchang, Northwest China's Gansu province, the conglomerate was founded in the 1950s when China was confronted with a severe shortage of nickel resources…Over the decades, Jinchuan has developed into one of China's nickel and cobalt production bases and a hub for the extraction of platinum group metals, or PGM, using a slew of advanced technologies and equipment for mining, mineral processing and smelting…Since 2012, Jinchuan has been leveraging the Belt and Road Initiative to increase its overseas expansion, gaining stature outside China and advancing international cooperation in the technical trade and a batch of high-profile nonferrous metal projects…Moreover, Jinchuan has established long-term cooperation with businesses from countries and regions rich in raw metal materials such as nickel, copper and cobalt. They include Finland, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Meanwhile, the group's products of cathode copper and electro-deposited cobalt have been exported to countries and regions including South Korea, Pakistan, Europe and Southeast Asia. Currently, Jinchuan owns 10 overseas nonferrous metal mines in South Africa, DR Congo, Zambia, Mexico and Indonesia…It has an annual production capability of 200,000 metric tons of nickel, 1 million tons of copper, 15,000 tons of cobalt and 10 tons of PGM…."We've seen Chinese producers go overseas to invest in mining assets and the trend will continue," said Zhu Yi, senior analyst with metals and mining at Bloomberg Intelligence.

As countries scrutinize mineral supply chains needed to fuel the clean energy transition, one potential source is hiding in junk drawers and trash cans all over the world. An estimated 5.3 billion phones will fall out of use this year, according to data from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) for the Global e-Waste Monitor — adding to what researchers call a largely untapped “urban mine” that could be used for new technology like solar panels, wind turbines and electric-vehicle batteries…While return rates vary by country, globally just 17% of electronic waste is collected and recycled on average, according to Dr. Kees Baldé, a senior scientific specialist at UNITAR’s Sustainable Cycles Programme and a lead researcher behind the Global e-Waste Monitor. Many devices end up in landfills, which is both a hazardous pollution problem and a waste of vast quantities of metals and minerals, such as copper and palladium, that could be recycled into new products…“People tend not to realize that all these seemingly insignificant items have a lot of value, and together at a global level represent massive volumes,” said Pascal Leroy, director general of the WEEE Forum, in a statement. "It is very easy for [small e-waste items] to accumulate unused and unnoticed in households, or to be tossed into the ordinary garbage bin.” …The European Union’s rate of e-waste recovery, at 55%, is significantly higher than in the rest of the world, due in part to decades of legislation…In the US, there is no nationally regulated e-waste management system, but some states and companies have their own collection schemes. 

The European Union needs to provide more regulatory incentives for its carmakers to scale up fully electric vehicle (EV) production or risk losing market share to Chinese rivals, according to a study by climate group Transport & Environment…In the T&E report 'From boom to brake: is the e-mobility transition stalling?' released on Monday, the group said that EV sales growth in the bloc had slowed, with fully-electric cars making up 11% of sales in the first half of 2022 when historical trends suggested they should have reached 13%...In the meantime, Chinese carmakers including BYD and Great Wall Motor are looking to gain a foothold in the EU and have recently scored high safety ratings for their EVs…T&E estimates Chinese-made EVs accounted for 5% of fully-electric car sales in the EU in the first half of this year and could have an 18% share of the market by 2025.

Automaker BMW is set to move production of its electric minis from the United Kingdom to China, The Times reported on Friday…The company denied the Times report on moving production to China from the UK…BMW makes 40,000 electric Minis a year at its Cowley factory on the outskirts of Oxford and plans to end the production by next year end, the report added.

Fully electric and hybrid vehicles in 2022 have almost doubled as a percentage of the Renault brand’s European sales over the last two years, an executive said ahead of the Paris Motor Show…“In Europe, we will be at 40% this year,”…In 2021, electrified models accounted for around a quarter of the Renault brand’s European sales and around a third in the first half of 2022…Overtaken by newcomers like Tesla and new Chinese carmakers, or by legacy heavyweights like Volkswagen and Stellantis, Renault has pinned its electric hopes on its new Mégane and two small iconic models - a new Renault 5 and a new Renault 4, a small SUV that is a throwback to its 4L. It will unveil them at the Paris Motor Show.

Driven by the same mission to decarbonise professional mobility, Renault Trucks, part of the Volvo Group, has joined forces with Kleuster, a Lyon-based electric cargo bike manufacturer, to accelerate the production and distribution of the Freegônes e-cargo bikes…Through this partnership, Renault Trucks is adding last mile delivery solutions to its electric vehicle range. With the expansion of low-emission zones (LEZ), booming demand for last mile delivery, and increased environmental awareness, agile and decarbonised transport is clearly the future in urban areas. To address this pressing need, Kleuster launched its pioneering Freegônes professional e-cargo bike 8 years ago…By joining forces with Kleuster, Renault Trucks is sharing its expertise, industrial infrastructure, and large-scale production capacity. Freegônes' assembly and logistics have moved to a 2,100 m2 building in Renault Trucks' long-standing Vénissieux site, which also boosts the regional economy…By integrating Kleuster products as a complement to its range of electric vehicles, Renault Trucks is providing professionals with an effective and innovative solution for last mile delivery. Renault Trucks is now the only European manufacturer with such a wide range of electric vehicles, varying between 650 kg and 44 t GVWR.