Quarterly rare earths update - April 2024
Ellie Saklatvala, Senior Editor — Nonferrous Metals, provides a bitesize overview of the key price movements that happened in Q1 and how supply and demand fundamentals are shaping up as we move through Q2.
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Wogen, Australia's IG6 ink graphite offtake deal
Wogen, Australia's IG6 ink graphite offtake deal
Sydney, 25 June (Argus) — Australian graphite developer and refiner International Graphite (IG6) has signed a non-binding supply and offtake agreement with UK trading firm Wogen, the company said today. Under the agreement, Wogen will supply IG6's Collie micronised graphite plant in Western Australia (WA) state with up to 10,000 t/yr of graphite flake concentrate. Meanwhile, IG6 will supply Wogen's Hong Kong-based Pacific arm with at least 3,000 t/yr of micronised spherical graphite for exclusive sale to Asia-Pacific customers, primarily in Japan and South Korea. The product would need additional processing to be used in battery anodes, the company told Argus today. Terms of sales will be agreed on a spot basis. Wogen may extend lines of credit to facilitate the sales, the company said. The company expects the terms will be converted into a binding agreement before the 4,000 t/yr Collie facility begins commercial production in mid-2027, pushed back from its original commissioning target of January 2027. The mine will ramp up over the following 18 months starting from the commissioning in mid-2027. IG6 may eventually supply Collie with flake graphite from its planned Springdale mine in WA, but has paused exploration and drilling at the site while it focuses on commissioning Collie and its mid-stream joint-venture with Alkeemia in Italy. The company received A$4.7mn ($3.24mn) grant from the Australian federal government in 2023 to develop the mine . By Daniel Gage-Brown Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Argentina GDP growth ticks higher in first quarter
Argentina GDP growth ticks higher in first quarter
Montevideo, 24 June (Argus) — Argentina's economic growth ticked up by 2.3pc in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier, led by agriculture and livestock, mining and exports. Growth in gross domestic product (GDP) edged up from 2.2pc in the fourth quarter of 2025 and compared with 3.3pc in the third quarter last year, according to INDEC, the statistics institute. It marked a sixth consecutive quarter of annual growth. Growth in the first quarter was led by agriculture, livestock and forestry, the country's traditional economic motor, which surged by 18.1pc. Fishing was up by 27.5pc and mining, where Argentina is beginning to make gains with copper, gold and lithium production, expanded by 12.3pc, according to INDEC, the statistics agency. Construction grew by 2.5pc. Private consumption rose by 2.7pc on the year, while exports grew by 9.8pc. Weighing on growth were manufacturing, which dipped by 1.7pc from a year earlier; utilities, down by 1.1pc; and retail and wholesale trade, down by 0.3pc on the year. Investment fell by 11.6pc on the year. The GDP numbers reflect a mixed bag for Argentina's economy, with exports rebounding, but investment down and inflation and unemployment stubbornly high. Inflation was at a 33.2pc annualized rate in May, an uptick after edging lower the prior two months, INDEC reported last week. Monthly inflation for May was 2.1pc, the lowest monthly rate since September 2025. -By Lucien Chauvin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EASA calls for inspection of Airbus A380 wing spars
EASA calls for inspection of Airbus A380 wing spars
London, 24 June (Argus) — The EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an airworthiness directive (AD) requiring inspection of the wing mid-spars on 16 Airbus A380 aircraft due to cracks that could reduce the structural integrity of the wings. Five of the affected aircraft must be inspected immediately, while the other 11 require inspection within 25 flight cycles after today — the effective date of the AD. The wing spars on the A380 are manufactured from aluminium alloy. Repairs may be required if any discrepancy is detected during inspection. By Samuel Wood Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EGA inaugurates Al-Taweelah recycling plant
EGA inaugurates Al-Taweelah recycling plant
London, 24 June (Argus) — Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) has inaugurated a recycling plant at its Al-Taweelah site in Abu Dhabi following a delay caused by an Iranian missile strike in late March. The plant has a production capacity of 185,000 t/yr of low-carbon recycled aluminium from pre-consumer factory scrap and post-consumer scrap. Construction began in late 2023 and EGA charged the first melting furnace in January. Completion of the plant had been planned by the end of the first quarter, before the site was struck by an Iranian missile on 28 March, injuring several employees. Recycled cast metal production resumed in early May, and the ramp-up to full production is expected to take up to six months, depending on scrap availability. EGA acquired German recycling company Leichtmetalle in 2024 and announced an expansion of the facility in December last year that will increase capacity more than sixfold. EGA also bought a majority stake in US secondary aluminium smelter Spectro Alloys in 2024, and has since announced two expansions that will increase the plant's capacity to more than 200,000 t/yr of secondary aluminium ingots and billets, from 110,000 t/yr previously. The company also announced the acquisition of an 80pc stake in Italian aluminium recycler Eco Green in April. By Jethro Wookey Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.