Ichthys LNG Shutdown Now Imminent, Lobito Corridor Reopens DRC Copper Route, Collahuasi Commits US$345 Million, and Japan Proposes a G7 Joint Minerals Reserve

The Mining Insider — June 16, 2026. Host: Logan Ore.

Today's stories:
1. Inpex SVP Bill Townsend confirms Ichthys LNG production disruption is 'imminent and significant'; Offshore Alliance extends strikes to July 6, threatening 2% of global LNG output and 9.3 Mtpa of exports mainly to Japan.
2. Lobito Atlantic Railway receives the first copper train from the DRC since reopening the flood-damaged Lobito–Huambo section; the 1,300-km corridor has handled nearly 500,000 tonnes of minerals in 2026 and is a strategic lifeline for Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula complex.
3. Collahuasi — owned by Anglo American and Glencore (44% each) and Mitsui (12%) — approves a US$345M expansion while a Chilean environmental tribunal ruling on its desalination permit remains unresolved; Anglo-Teck merger awaits China antitrust approval.
4. Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi proposes a G7 joint stockpiling initiative — 90 days' worth of critical minerals coordinated through the IEA, with releases conditioned on companies shifting procurement away from China — at the Évian G7 summit.

Sources: Oil Monster / Reuters, Inpex; Lobito Atlantic Railway press release; Bloomberg; BNamericas; Anglo American RNS; Japan Times; Yeni Safak / Reuters.