Construction of the Mineral Processing Plant Is Already Underway

Shenghe Resources Board Chairman Xie Bing confirmed that the company deliberately chose Tanzania as its processing base, even though it operates heavy mineral sands projects in Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar. Speaking during a visit by Minerals Minister Anthony Mavunde to Shenghe’s operations in Chengdu, China, Mr Xie said the company expects to complete the mineral processing plant within a short period.

“We have projects in Mozambique, South Africa and Madagascar, but we have chosen Tanzania as the centre for processing these minerals in Africa,” Mr Xie said.

Minister Mavunde welcomed the investment, noting that the decision to establish a processing plant in Tanzania was consistent with the country’s mining policy and legal requirement to add value to minerals locally. He directed Shenghe to speed up construction and ensure the plant is completed within the agreed timeframe, while also urging the company to finalize compensation payments for the few remaining areas affected by the project.

“This decision will contribute to job creation, increased revenue and the development of technology in mineral processing,” Mr Mavunde said.

The Facility Strengthens Tanzania’s Role in Regional Mineral Value Chains

Once operational, the mineral processing plant will serve as a processing point for heavy mineral sands from different African countries, potentially allowing Tanzania to capture a larger share of the value generated from the continent’s mineral resources. This development aligns with the Tanzanian government’s broader push to promote mineral beneficiation and reduce reliance on the export of unprocessed minerals.

The establishment of a facility capable of receiving mineral sands from multiple African nations could strengthen Tanzania’s position in regional mineral value chains while creating demand for supporting services and technical skills. For an industry that has long focused on extraction, the shift toward local processing represents a meaningful step in expanding the economic benefits derived from the mining sector.

Mr Xie also credited President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s administration for creating a favorable investment environment, saying it had encouraged Shenghe to expand its activities in the country. The government has been actively promoting investments that support local processing, technology transfer, employment and higher revenues from the mining sector.

The Pangani mineral processing plant adds to those efforts by positioning Tanzania not only as a producer of heavy mineral sands but also as a processing center for resources sourced from across Africa. As mineral beneficiation becomes an increasingly important priority for African mining nations, the progress at Tajiri signals that Tanzania is actively working to move up the mineral value chains that have historically been dominated by operations outside the continent.

Ownership, Location and Operational Profile

The Portland Canal Marine Terminal is co-owned by the Nisga’a Nation, Tahltan Nation Development Corporation (TNDC), and Arrow Transportation Systems. Located in Stewart, near the Golden Triangle, the facility is a fully permitted deep-sea terminal capable of handling approximately 300,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and gold concentrate annually.

The terminal offers all-weather marine operations and direct highway access across Northwest British Columbia and the Yukon, positioning it as a strategic node for critical minerals transportation across the broader region. Its deep-sea capabilities allow direct shipment of mineral products to global buyers, removing logistical barriers that have historically constrained export routes from the area.

Acquisition and Provincial Funding

The partnership acquired the Portland Canal Marine Terminal in 2025. The Province of British Columbia supported the project with a C$5 million grant through its Northwest Strategy. This funding is directed toward port modernisation, wharf expansion, terminal development, expanded services, long-term storage, and workforce-enabling infrastructure.

President of the Nisga’a Nation Eva Clayton described the official opening as a significant milestone, demonstrating the strength of Indigenous leadership, partnership, and economic self-determination. “Our partnership with the Tahltan Nation and Arrow Transportation demonstrates what can be achieved when Indigenous Nations and industry work together to build meaningful economic opportunities,” Clayton said. “This terminal provides an important gateway to global markets and strengthens the infrastructure needed to support the growing critical minerals sector in Northwest British Columbia.”

Tahltan Nation Development Corporation CEO Todd den Engelsen said the partnership underscores a shared commitment to regional development. “The acquisition of the Port of Stewart Bulk terminal and the creation of a transportation business is more than infrastructure. It is a gateway to global markets, improved logistics, and economic growth for the Tahltan and Nisga’a Nations, our partners, and Canada as a whole,” den Engelsen said.

Critical Minerals Transportation and Supply Chain Connectivity

The terminal’s capacity and connectivity give it a central role in the critical minerals supply chain for Northwest British Columbia. With the Golden Triangle hosting significant copper and gold deposits, the Portland Canal Marine Terminal provides producers in the region with a reliable, permitted export route. Its highway links to the Yukon further extend the catchment area for critical minerals transportation, connecting remote operations to a functional deep-sea port.

The Indigenous-owned port model adopted here reflects a growing trend in British Columbia mining where First Nations take direct ownership stakes in infrastructure that supports resource development on or near their traditional territories. This approach ties economic participation directly to the facilities that enable critical minerals transportation rather than limiting involvement to benefit agreements alone.

Reinforcing Mining Infrastructure in British Columbia

The opening of the Portland Canal Marine Terminal adds a significant piece of mining infrastructure to British Columbia’s northwest corridor. By combining Indigenous ownership with deep-sea shipping capability and substantial provincial investment, the terminal is positioned to serve as a long-term gateway for copper concentrate and gold concentrate exports. As demand for critical minerals transportation capacity grows alongside exploration and development activity in the Golden Triangle and surrounding regions, the facility addresses a tangible infrastructure need for the province’s mining sector.

The launch reflects a broader push within the mining technology sector toward data-driven decision-making. Rather than replacing human judgement, these mining digital solutions are intended to complement operational expertise by surfacing information faster and highlighting where intervention may be needed most.

How Mining Digital Solutions Enhance Production and Performance

Metso Digital Production Management is built to help operators respond to shifting ore characteristics and process conditions in near real time. The system integrates planning data, operational information and simulation models to evaluate different production scenarios. Based on that analysis, it recommends actions aimed at goals such as higher throughput, improved recovery rates, greater reliability and better alignment between production schedules and maintenance activities. These are presented as intended capabilities of the platform rather than guaranteed outcomes.

The second solution, Metso Data-driven Performance Analytics, takes a different approach. It is an expert-led service focused on the continuous monitoring of equipment use and overall process effectiveness. The service delivers daily oversight of asset performance, identifies bottlenecks in operations and helps teams prioritise corrective actions. These analytics services originate from Metso Performance Centres, which already support mining customers around the world with data-driven condition monitoring. By centralising equipment analytics and making performance data more accessible, the service is designed to reduce the time between identifying an issue and acting on it.

Arttu-Matti Matinlauri, vice president of minerals digital at Metso, noted that mining companies face constant pressure to increase production, improve safety and extract more value from existing operations. He explained that the new offerings are intended to help customers identify issues earlier, understand what is happening within their processes and respond in a more optimised manner. Whether the objective is to raise throughput and recovery or to reinforce operational safety, the goal is to turn operational data into practical improvements.

Strengthening Mine Safety and Expanding the Digital Portfolio

The third product, the Metso Safety Performance Platform, addresses a different but equally critical dimension of mining operations. The platform is designed to boost workforce engagement in risk reporting by enabling employees and contractors to document risks and incidents from any device. AI-assisted features within the platform work to improve the quality of reported data, while real-time dashboards, analytics tools and safety recommendations give mine safety teams a clearer picture of emerging hazards.

This focus on mine safety sits alongside the production-oriented tools but serves a distinct purpose. Where the production and performance products target operational efficiency, the safety platform aims to create a more responsive and transparent reporting culture across mining sites.

According to Metso, the broader portfolio behind these mining digital solutions draws on decades of experience across mineral processing, spanning everything from crushing through to tailings management. The company says the combination of deep operational mining expertise with AI in mining and analytics technologies is central to the design philosophy behind all three products.

With the commercial introduction of these three tools, Metso has expanded its digital offering for mining customers seeking to apply production optimisation, equipment analytics and safety management within a single technology framework. The mining digital solutions are now available as part of the company’s wider portfolio serving the global mining industry.

This is strengthening the role of the aluminium recycling supply chain. More than 30 million tonnes of aluminium scrap are recycled globally each year, while the International Aluminium Institute estimates that almost 75% of all aluminium ever produced remains in use. That large installed base creates a long-term source of secondary metal as products reach the end of their useful lives.

Aluminium Recycling is Becoming a Larger Source of Metal Supply

The scale of this change can be seen in projections for post-consumer scrap. The International Aluminium Institute estimates that aluminium produced from post-consumer scrap could rise from around 22 million tonnes in 2021 to between 66 million and 80 million tonnes annually by 2050 across different scenarios. At the same time, total aluminium supply is expected to increase substantially, meaning recycled material will need to contribute alongside primary production rather than simply replace it.

This creates a stronger strategic role for secondary aluminium. Unlike primary production, which depends on extracting and refining bauxite, recycled aluminium can return material already in circulation to productive use. The energy requirement for recycling can also be up to 95% lower than producing primary aluminium, strengthening the economic and environmental rationale for expanding secondary supply.

However, the growth of recycled metal depends on more than the volume of aluminium reaching end of life. Material has to be collected, sorted, processed and returned to manufacturers in forms that meet the requirements of downstream applications. aluminium recycling supply chain development is therefore closely connected to the infrastructure supporting scrap recovery.

Post-Consumer Scrap is Expanding the Secondary Resource Base

Post-consumer scrap is particularly important because it represents aluminium recovered from products after their useful life rather than material generated during manufacturing. The International Aluminium Institute recorded around 20 million tonnes of post-consumer scrap intake in 2019, accounting for almost 60% of total scrap intake at the time. More recent scenario modelling shows the potential scale of this resource, with aluminium production from post-consumer scrap rising from 22 million tonnes in 2021 to between 66 million and 80 million tonnes by 2050, depending on the scenario.

The growing availability of this material could provide a significant source of future aluminium, but recovery rates and processing capabilities will determine how much of it becomes usable secondary metal. aluminium recycling supply chain development is consequently moving toward a more strategic role within the wider aluminium market.

“While we’re operating close to our previous location, this is a strategic transition for MAJOR,” said MAJOR President Bernard Betts. “The investment in a larger, upgraded facility allows us to respond more quickly to customer needs and deliver the high-quality screening solutions they depend on.”

MAJOR continues to expand its North American footprint, with the new Schertz facility joining locations in Fife, Washington; Candiac, Quebec; and St. Catharines, Ontario. In addition to the North American locations, MAJOR also supports European customers through its Battice, Belgium location.

The upgraded Texas location is 125,000 square feet, more than twice the size of the 55,000-square-foot former building. The expansion allows MAJOR to streamline operations by bringing its cut-and-hook facility and FLEX-MAT production under one roof, while upgraded equipment improves overall production and storage capabilities.

The additional space will increase FLEX-MAT production capacity by 20% and woven finishing capacity by 40%. The facility also has space for further expansion in the future.

The increased production capacity will allow MAJOR to shorten lead times, enhance service responsiveness and further support producers across the United States.

MAJOR also plans to introduce production of its FLEX-MAT Modular product line at the facility in 2027. The expansion will include additional hiring to support operations and ensure continued customer service excellence.

“Our new facility gives our team the space and equipment needed to operate more efficiently while maintaining the quality MAJOR is known for,” said Alain Prevost, Vice President of Operations at MAJOR. “By bringing production and the cut–and–hook operations under the same roof, we’re positioned to improve our customers’ lead times and support growth for years to come.”

MAJOR expects to complete the transition to the new facility in September 2026.

To learn more about MAJOR and its full line of innovative solutions, visit www.majorflexmat.com.

This is strengthening the role of aluminium downstream manufacturing as demand expands across industries with different technical and product requirements. International Aluminium Institute and CRU projections show that transportation, construction, electrical applications and packaging are among the largest sources of additional aluminium demand through 2030. Together, these sectors account for around 75% of projected additional demand in the cited analysis.

Downstream Demand is Expanding Across Aluminium-Intensive Industries

Transportation is expected to remain the largest growth area. Aluminium demand from the sector is projected to increase from 23.0 million tonnes in 2021 to 31.7 million tonnes in 2030, an increase of 8.7 million tonnes. Vehicle electrification is one factor supporting this trend as manufacturers use aluminium in structural components, body systems and other applications where weight reduction can improve vehicle efficiency.

Construction remains another major market, with demand projected to increase from 22.7 million tonnes to 25.2 million tonnes over the same period. Electrical applications are expected to add another 5.2 million tonnes, while packaging demand is projected to increase by 3.3 million tonnes.

These different applications require different forms and grades of aluminium. Automotive manufacturers may require tightly controlled sheet and extruded products, electrical applications can require specialised wire and rod, while packaging depends heavily on rolled products and foil stock. Aluminium downstream manufacturing therefore depends on the ability to convert primary and recycled metal into products that meet increasingly specific requirements.

Demand Growth is Creating More Opportunities Beyond Primary Metal

The expansion of downstream markets changes the competitive equation for aluminium-producing regions. Primary smelting provides the metal, but further processing can connect that material directly to industries with higher technical and product requirements.

This creates opportunities across rolling, extrusion, fabrication, finishing and component manufacturing. The more specialised the application, the greater the importance of processing capability, product consistency, quality control and access to customers.

Aluminium downstream manufacturing is consequently becoming an important part of the industry’s response to changing demand. As transportation, electrical, construction and packaging applications expand, regions with the ability to process aluminium into market-specific products can participate more deeply in the value chain.

This is making aluminium smelting inputs an increasingly important part of supply-chain planning. The material requirements are substantial. Illustrative producer-level data indicates that producing one tonne of primary aluminium can require around 1.91 to 1.94 tonnes of alumina, 0.26 to 0.40 tonnes of calcined petroleum coke, 0.08 to 0.12 tonnes of liquid pitch and 12.2 to 27.2 kilograms of aluminium fluoride. These figures vary between facilities, but they demonstrate the range of materials that must be secured alongside energy.

Critical Inputs are Becoming a Focus of Aluminium Supply Security

The significance of these materials is not determined only by their physical volumes. Some inputs are used in relatively small quantities but can become difficult to replace quickly because of limited suppliers, specialised production requirements or long transportation routes.

Aluminium fluoride is a useful example. It plays a role in controlling the electrolyte chemistry within the smelting cell, meaning a disruption in supply can affect an essential part of the production process. Carbon materials are similarly important because baked anodes depend on calcined petroleum coke and pitch, both of which have their own upstream supply chains.

This creates several layers of exposure for aluminium producers. A smelter can face risks from the availability of the input itself, the concentration of global suppliers, shipping routes, port infrastructure and the cost of maintaining inventories.

The issue becomes more significant when supply chains are concentrated geographically. An input may be readily available under normal market conditions but become a constraint when a major producing region or transport corridor experiences disruption. aluminium smelting inputs therefore need to be assessed not simply by price and availability, but also by the resilience of the supply routes supporting them.

Smelters are Looking Beyond Immediate Procurement

The growing focus on input security is encouraging a broader approach to sourcing. Producers can reduce exposure through diversified suppliers, regional manufacturing capacity, strategic inventories and closer integration between upstream material producers and smelters.

This does not necessarily mean that every input must be produced locally. The more practical objective is to reduce dependence on highly concentrated or vulnerable supply routes for materials that are essential to continuous operation.

Aluminium smelting inputs are consequently becoming a strategic consideration alongside technology, energy costs and production capacity. The ability to secure these materials reliably can influence whether a smelter can maintain output when global logistics or commodity markets become more volatile.

This is placing advanced aluminium smelting at the centre of efforts to improve primary production. Technology development is progressing across several areas, including anode design, electrolysis-cell configuration, electrical efficiency and process control. Some approaches aim to reduce the electricity required for each tonne of metal, while others seek to change the chemistry of the smelting process itself.

Advanced Smelting is Targeting the Efficiency of Primary Aluminium Production

The scale of the efficiency challenge becomes clearer when primary and recycled aluminium are compared. The International Aluminium Institute estimates that primary aluminium production required around 186 GJ per tonne in 2019 from mining through to the cast house, while recycled aluminium required approximately 8.3 GJ per tonne. That represents an estimated 95.5% lower energy requirement for recycling.

The comparison highlights why improvements in primary production remain important even as recycling expands. Recycled aluminium can supply a growing share of future demand, but primary metal will remain necessary as overall aluminium consumption increases. Reducing the energy intensity of primary production can therefore improve the efficiency of material that cannot yet be supplied through secondary sources.

Advanced aluminium smelting is addressing this challenge through both incremental and more transformative approaches. Improvements to cell operation, electrical performance and process control can help reduce inefficiencies within existing production systems, while alternative anode technologies could change the underlying electrochemical process.

Anode Technology is Becoming a Key Development Area

Conventional aluminium smelting uses carbon anodes that are consumed during electrolysis and generate carbon dioxide as part of the process. Inert-anode technology aims to replace these consumable carbon anodes with materials that do not produce direct carbon dioxide emissions during the electrolysis reaction.

The technology is progressing toward industrial-scale deployment. In 2025, an inert-anode cell reached an operating current of 450 kA in an industrial-scale demonstration, providing evidence that the technology is moving beyond laboratory development.

This does not mean inert-anode smelting is already commercially established across the aluminium industry. It does demonstrate the direction of development: advanced aluminium smelting is increasingly focused on technologies that can improve process efficiency while also reducing the emissions associated with primary production.