Metallurgical (coking) coal

Swiss-British commodity giant, second-largest cobalt miner globally. Operates Mutanda and Kamoto Copper Company mines in DRC, plus Murrin Murrin (Australia). Produced 38,200 tonnes cobalt in 2024.

BHP Group (ASX/LSE/NYSE: BHP; HQ Melbourne; ~$55B revenue) is the world's largest mining company by market capitalization and a critical node in global process water infrastructure. BHP's Escondida copper mine (Atacama Desert, Chile) — the world's single largest copper mine, producing ~5% of global copper supply — required a $3.4 billion seawater desalination plant (Escondida Water Supply desalination facility, Punta Patache, Antofagasta coast) to pump desalinated seawater ~170 km and 3,500 meters in elevation to the mine. Escondida now recycles ~75% of process water and is transitioning to seawater-only operations. BHP's Olympic Dam mine (South Australia) is the world's largest known uranium deposit and requires water from the Great Artesian Basin (world's largest confined groundwater aquifer) — a different but equally critical water dependency. BHP operates across two of the world's most consequential water-constrained mining regions.

Anglo American plc (London; JSE/LSE: AAL; ~$32B revenue; ~$35B market cap) is a major diversified miner with significant copper exposure through Chilean and Peruvian operations. Anglo American co-owns Collahuasi (44%; one of Chile's largest copper mines, ~600,000 tonnes/year Cu production capacity, Tarapacá Region) and Los Bronces (open-pit porphyry copper mine near Santiago; ~200,000 tonnes/year Cu). Anglo American's 2024 restructuring — driven by a rejected BHP takeover bid at ~$39B — included a plan to spin off or sell its platinum, coal, and nickel businesses to focus on copper, iron ore, and crop nutrients. This restructuring signals Anglo American's strategic view that copper is the defining metal of the energy transition. Anglo American's copper production is approximately 660,000-750,000 tonnes/year (combined mines), representing ~4% of global copper mine supply.

Teck Resources Limited (Vancouver; NYSE: TECK; ~$9B revenue) is one of the world's largest integrated zinc producers and a major Western indium producer. Indium is recovered as a byproduct at Teck's Trail Operations in Trail, British Columbia — one of the largest integrated zinc and lead smelting complexes in the world. Teck produces 99.995%-minimum-purity indium at Trail with an annual capacity of approximately 75 tonnes, representing ~22% of US import supply. Teck has expanded its indium processing capability to meet ITO manufacturer demand. Trail Operations processes zinc concentrates from Teck's Red Dog mine (Alaska) and third-party sources. Teck sold its steelmaking coal business to Glencore in 2024, sharpening its focus on copper and zinc — both critical mineral supply chains.

One of the few remaining large-scale US producers and exporters of metallurgical coal; operates two underground mines in the Warrior coalfield of Alabama, exporting primarily to European and Asian steelmakers.