MinEner Editor 
Two back-to-back power outages in southern France, including during the Cannes Film Festival, raise alarms over sabotage and weaknesses in the country’s critical energy infrastructure.
As Earth’s mineral reserves dwindle, governments and private companies are turning to asteroids and the Moon in search of rare earths, platinum, and water. Space mining could revolutionize resource extraction—but not without technical, legal, and environmental challenges.
China has discovered the world’s largest gold deposit—over 1,000 tons found 2,000 meters underground in Hunan province. Valued at $83 billion, the Wangu find cements China’s dominance in the global gold market while sparking debate on environmental and social consequences.
France faces a wave of coordinated power grid sabotage, with Nice and Cannes suffering major blackouts within 24 hours.
A fire of suspected criminal origin at a substation in southeastern France disrupted electricity for 160,000 homes, temporarily affecting the Cannes Film Festival.
Environmental law and economics expert Bobbi-Jo Dobush warns that deep-sea mining could disrupt carbon cycles, threaten biodiversity, and offer limited economic returns.
A UK report alleges Spain’s April 28 blackout was caused by a failed renewable energy experiment. Madrid denies it. The EU is now investigating.
France expresses strong interest in co-financing mining and renewable energy infrastructure in Argentina’s San Juan province.
Rio Tinto is doubling down on its lithium ambitions in Chile. Just days after announcing a joint venture with Codelco for the Maricunga Salar project, the Chilean National Mining Company Enami confirmed that Rio Tinto has been selected as the operating partner for its Salares Altoandinos lithium project. Located in the Atacama Region, this project
U.S. officials fear Chinese-made solar components may contain hidden kill switches, threatening national energy security and grid resilience.