Key transactions & industry newsWeekly Update 09/26/2025

Metals & Mining

Lithium Americas soars 90% as Washington considers stake. Shares of Lithium Americas closed at $8.32 after jumping nearly 90% after Reuters reported that the Trump administration is seeking up to a 10% stake in the miner, in the latest sign of Washington’s intervention into industries it considers critical to national security.

China railway and India’s Ashapura Minechem sign major bauxite partnership deal in Guinea. One of Ashapura Minechem’s mining subsidiaries located outside of India signed a multi-year strategic cooperation agreement with China Railway. The deal focuses on developing the Boffa bauxite deposit in Guinea-Conakry, spanning over 200 sq km and estimated to hold more than 200M tons of reserves.

State regulators demand action from Atlantic Alumina over red mud disposal. Atlantic Alumina operates the last remaining bauxite refinery in the U.S., a massive facility that transforms red earth from Jamaica into alumina. However, the process leaves behind a by-product known as “red mud,” which has raised environmental concerns. State regulators recently stepped in, issuing orders and warning fines after claiming that the plant’s containment systems failed, causing bright orange runoff to flow into a nearby swamp.

Anglo’s Valterra Platinum divestment ‘largest in history of JSE’, Standard Bank reports. The divestment by diversified mining company Anglo American of its residual shareholding in Valterra Platinum was highlighted by enabler Standard Bank as “the largest equity capital markets transaction in the history of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange”.

EGA eyes a $10-15B IPO, taps regional and global banks amid Middle East listing boom. Emirates Global Aluminium PJSC (EGA), the UAE’s industrial powerhouse, has picked leading banks to arrange a potential initial public offering that could rank among the Middle East’s largest listings. The deal could value the company at between $10B and $15B.

Former Alcoa site in Maryland to be transformed into Rowan’s data center hub. Rio Tinto, in partnership with Founders Factory, has unveiled six new investments spanning laser-based superdeep drilling, ecosystem restoration, robotic revegetation solutions, mineral waste valorization for extracting critical metals and nature and biodiversity monitoring.

Rio Tinto & founders factory unveil new investments reducing the impact of mining. Rowan Digital Infrastructure has secured over $1B to advance the development of its Maryland data center campus.

Transportation & Logistics

Trump sets 25% tariff on imported trucks, raising supply chain stakes. President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping new tariffs on imported heavy-duty trucks, furniture and pharmaceuticals.

Norfolk Southern rolls out automated system to measure track conditions. Norfolk Southern Railway recently developed and rolled out its new automated track geometry measurement system, the Class I announced yesterday on social media.

APM advances Port of Mobile container facility expansion. The Industrial Development Board in Mobile, Alabama, recently approved a $58.6M investment by APM Terminals Mobile, in coordination with the Alabama Port Authority, for the Port of Mobile’s intermodal container transfer facility expansion.

Ohio rail panel OKs $2.3M in grants for five rail projects. The Ohio Rail Development Commission last week approved more than $2.3M in grant assistance for five projects resulting in more than $7.4M in rail infrastructure projects throughout the state.

Trump to expand tariff powers, sets 15% baseline on Japan. The Trump administration wants to expand U.S. tariff authority, proposing new rules on imported auto parts and metals, while modifying reciprocal duties on trade partners, and implementing a fresh tariff framework with Japan.

Energy

Mexico’s Pemex crude oil exports in August fall 32% year-on-year. Mexican state company Pemex exported 500,203 barrels per day of crude oil in August, a 32% drop year-on-year, as its local refineries processed slightly more, company data released.

TotalEnergies consortium wins $5.3B French wind-farm tender, but partner RWE pulls out. Energy major TotalEnergies said it won a $5.3B tender from the French government as part of a consortium to build and operate the country’s largest offshore wind farm, though Germany’s RWE said it intended to exit the partnership.

Orsted Can Restart Construction of U.S. Offshore Wind Farm, Court Says. Orsted can resume construction of a U.S. offshore wind farm that was halted by the Trump administration last month. The decision means the Danish renewable-energy company can restart work on the Revolution Wind project off the coast of Rhode Island while the company’s lawsuit challenging the administration’s stop-work order continues.

Exelon to intensify push to own Mid-Atlantic power plants, CEO says. Major U.S. electric utility Exelon plans to step up its push to own power plants in its Mid-Atlantic service area next year, where electricity bills are spiking in the face of rising demand and new supplies are slow to be added, CEO Calvin Butler told Reuters.

BP abandons plans to build Rotterdam biofuels plant. BP has stopped work on its Rotterdam biofuels plant, a company spokesperson said, marking the latest in a string of abandoned biofuels projects by oil companies such as BP and Shell.

Others

Videogame giant Electronic Arts nears roughly $50B deal to go private. Videogame maker Electronic Arts is nearing a deal to go private in what would likely be the largest leveraged buyout of all time.

Boeing clears key hurdle from 737 MAX crashes. Federal regulators are scaling back obstacles for Boeing to deliver some of its newly produced aircraft to customers, a hopeful sign for the plane maker’s recovery from a string of crises.

Boeing aircraft deal emerges as catalyst for U.S.-China tariff relief. The United States and China are edging closer to a landmark Boeing aircraft deal that could anchor a broader trade agreement between the two powers.