News
Basic Materials
July 01, 2026
Can ship recycling supply steel needed for the green transition?
Old ships contain mountains of scrap needed for lower-carbon steelmaking. But the course from ship to furnace is made harder by global politics.
June 23, 2026Prabowo’s nickel state: Indonesia’s search for power
Will the Prabowo administration's agenda of centralisation and state control over the nickel sector build lasting industrial capacity, or be even more extractive?
June 17, 2026Why low-carbon steel is becoming a data center procurement issue
A hyperscale data center uses up to 20,000 tonnes of steel. Meranti Green Steel targets 600–700 kg CO₂/tonne by 2030 vs 2,300 kg for blast furnace steel, but EPD verification remains the key bottleneck.
May 22, 2026Indonesia’s move to centralize coal, palm oil and nickel exports alarms industry
Indonesia's Danantara subsidiary DSI will become sole export channel for coal, palm oil and nickel. IDX fell 3.54% on the announcement as S&P warned of execution risk and trade disruption.
May 20, 2026Indonesia’s nickel boom linked to rising illness and worker harm, reports find
A newly published report by Indonesia’s human rights commission, Komnas HAM, includes new evidence of environmental and public health harms caused by the nickel mining industry in eastern Indonesia.
May 14, 2026Trump-Xi summit puts rare earths in focus as Japan races to diversify supply
U.S. President Donald Trump is on a state visit to China, where he is set to hold a bilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Market observers expect rare earth export restrictions to be among the key agenda items.
May 11, 2026China’s new hydrogen push could be a step towards cleaner steel
The new five-year plan and a pilot scheme signal China is getting serious about green hydrogen, with steelmaking among the sectors that may benefit.
April 23, 2026Malaysia delays carbon tax as energy prices rise, prioritizes carbon market framework
Rising global energy prices are pressuring decarbonization efforts. Malaysia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability said on April 21 that Malaysia will delay a carbon tax on industries to ease business cost pressures.
April 17, 2026Taiwan’s carbon fee proposal: Six key aspects to watch【2026 update】
Taiwan's carbon fee will operate on a “leading by example” approach and may shift to cap and trade in two to three years. Here’s a breakdown of the six main aspects of the current carbon fee scheme.
April 14, 2026Repeated failures expose gaps in Indonesia’s nickel waste management
Indonesia’s booming nickel industry generates massive volumes of toxic waste, with dry stack or “filtered” tailings promoted as safer than the typical wet sludge, but often poorly implemented.