The US has established a new, responsibly sourced supply of tin after Rwanda-based Trinity Metals agreed to export its mined products to Pennsylvania-based Nathan Trotter, the largest manufacturer of tin alloys in North America.The parties signed a letter of intent establishing the partnership earlier this week. Also present at the signing was Kim Harrington, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), part of the US Department of State.“This type of critical minerals project supports US onshoring, strengthens our national security and advances economic prosperity,” the ENR said in a post on X on Tuesday.Acting PDAS Kim Harrington witnessed the signing of a letter of intent between @Trinity_Metals and Nathan Trotter at the Department of State to establish a new supply chain of tin from Rwanda to the United States. This type of #criticalminerals project supports U.S. onshoring,… pic.twitter.com/plwEsqeXLD— EnergyAtState (@EnergyAtState) May 13, 2025The move comes as Rwanda seeks to diversify its mineral exports and strengthen trade relations with the US. In 2024, the African nation exported an estimated 4,861 tonnes of cassiterite (tin ore).Meanwhile, the US has not been mining tin since 1989, and last year imported $903 million worth of the metal commonly used in plating steel, mostly from South America, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database.Trinity Metals currently operates the Rutongo and Musha tin mines in Rwanda, which together produce between 60 and 90 tonnes of the silver-colored metal per month, according to company website.Key visitsThe letter agreement with Nathan Trotter follows several recent visits by high-level US delegations to Rwanda amid growing interest in the region’s natural resources.The African nation first hosted US Congressman Ronnie Jackson and his delegation late March. This was followed by a visit from Massad Boulos, US Senior Advisor for Africa, alongside Corina Sanders, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, a few weeks later.According to Trinity, both delegations visited its Nyakabingo operation, home to the largest tungsten mine in Africa and the six-largest producer globally.In April, Rwanda President Paul Kagame held discussions with Trinity’s chairman Shawn McCormick on investment opportunities available in the country’s mining sector.US grantTrinity, which was formed in 2022 by merging the three mines’ owners with equity backing from British investment firm Techmet, positions itself as an ethical, eco-friendly supplier of critical minerals. Last year, the company received a $3.8 million technical assistance grant from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to support environmental and social governance (ESG) initiatives across its operations.“As Rwanda’s largest producer of conflict-free and child-labour-free critical minerals, it is a distinct honour to be recognized by the US DFC with this technical assistance grant,” McCormick stated in a July 2024 news release.
Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Mining.com
