The biggest producers all want to increase copper output to take advantage of rising demand for electric vehicles, grid infrastructure and data centers.

The US had requested a probe last year into alleged workers rights abuses at a Grupo Mexico mine in the central state of Zacatecas.

BHP is already building its own giant fertilizer project in Canada, called Jansen, to which it’s already committed more than $10 billion.

Miners have told Navios South American Logistics they could ship eight million to 10 million tons of iron ore this year.

The deal comes just as Chinese copper processors are struggling to turn a profit on supplies from miners like BHP.

BHP's attempt to swallow up Anglo American is the latest threat to one of the London market’s most-prized sectors.

CRU, a metals consultant, sees demand increasing about 40% by 2050 even if cleaner technologies aren’t rolled out aggressively.