The Philippines is considering taxing nickel ore exports in a bid to force miners in the country to invest in domestic processing instead of just shipping raw minerals, a strategy which has proven successful in the world’s top nickel producer Indonesia. The Philippines is the world’s second biggest nickel producer after Indonesia. “We want to move out from being just part of the supply chain. We want to be part of the value chain,” Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Loyzaga said in an interview on Monday. Without facilities to process mineral ore, “we will just be a vendor country. And we don’t want to be a vendor country,” Loyzaga underlined.

Russia prepares to pass a law that could prevent domestic airlines to return leased aircraft after sanctions imposed on Russia gave leasing firms until March 28 to free themselves from deals with Russian airlines. The showdown between the West and Russia will cause a huge headache for lessors, who have already had very little success in getting back their aircraft. 

Finnish mining company Terrafame, previously known as Talvivaara, will start uranium production at its Sotkamo mine as a byproduct of its zinc and nickel operations by mid-2024. The company, which is owned 67.1% by the Finnish state and 31.1% by commodities trader Trafigura, aims to produce 200 tonnes per annum by 2026. Terrafame wants to refine uranium to be used as a fuel for nuclear power plants. Among other minerals, Sotkamo mine operations include nickel and cobalt sulphates for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.