Tag Archives: nickel
Europe’s battery recycling buildout turns black mass refining into a strategic metallurgical battleground
Europe is positioning battery recycling as a structural part of the critical minerals supply chain, with policy targets under the EU Battery Regulation set to drive…
Europe’s lithium refining push grows faster than supply—yet still trails battery needs
Europe is moving from plans to projects to expand local lithium refining, but even by 2030 confirmed and advanced capacity covers only a fraction of expected…
Rising Treatment Charges and Energy Costs Put European Copper Smelters Under Strain
European copper smelters are facing a structural squeeze as treatment and refining charges jump to about $315 per tonne in 2026, reflecting feedstock competition rather than…
Rare Earth Refining Becomes Europe’s Most Expensive Strategic Constraint
Europe’s push for strategic minerals runs into a hard limit at the refining stage: separating and processing rare earth elements is highly capital-intensive, technically demanding and…
CBAM’s Carbon-Adjusted Power Costs Are Reshaping Metals Competition
Europe’s CBAM is pushing producers to price carbon through electricity as well as emissions, altering how aluminium, copper and battery-related materials compete in EU-linked markets. At…
Europe’s Critical Minerals Dealmaking Turns Offtake Contracts into Financing Tools
Europe is reshaping its critical minerals supply strategy as long-term offtake agreements increasingly take on the contract logic of energy power purchase agreements (PPAs), aiming to…
Europe’s Critical Minerals Push Runs Up Against a Financing Model Built for Smaller Bets
Europe is generating critical-minerals projects, but the continent’s financing structure remains fragmented, leaving many deals stuck at early stages or unable to pass bankability tests. With…
Industrial Accelerator Act puts South-East Europe to the test on financing and implementation
The European Commission’s Industrial Accelerator Act links climate goals to industrial competitiveness, but its impact in South-East Europe will depend less on policy intent than on…
Western Balkans’ Tailings Boom Tests Europe’s Ability to Finance Circular Critical Materials
In the Western Balkans, tailings, slag and legacy stockpiles are being reframed as strategic raw material resources, aiming to narrow Europe’s critical raw materials gap. But…
Lyten’s Northvolt Takeover Signals a Shift to Capital Discipline in Europe’s Battery Push
Northvolt’s bankruptcy has left Europe with valuable battery assets—and Lyten is moving to turn them into a leaner, technology-led manufacturing platform. The US company plans to…