Written by Callum Newman

“It’s beautiful in Noosa one day, perfect the next.” 

That’s how the Noosa Mining Conference began as host Phil Dickinson launched the event. He’s not wrong. 

The weather is balmy and the hubbub of attendees loud and enthusiastic. But attendees aren’t here because of the weather. 

They’re looking for promising investment opportunities in the mining sector. 

US President Donald Trump has already given presenting companies an unexpected turbocharge. 

This week he released an Executive Order that defence firms that contract to the US military need to screen their supply chains for security vulnerabilities. That scrutiny extends all the way back to the natural resource base. 

In other words, they can’t rely on China or Russia, and, if they do, they need to find a way to replace them.

Any mining project in the US or an allied country now has a head start when it comes to securing financial backing, offtake agreements, and other regulatory support. 

That plays right into the hands of lithium developer Venari Minerals (ASX:VMS). Its project is in the state of Nevada, one of the most pro-mining regions in North America. 

It’s also done test work to prove that it can process its sedimentary mineralisation and cut out the third-party converters in China, or elsewhere. 

Its Red Mountain Lithium Project could also supply a lucrative by-product called strontium, essential for military use. CEO Matt Healy also tabled the potential for the lithium price to double by this time next year, based on a recent investment bank forecast. 

It’s certainly going to take a lot of investment to return substantial mining projects to the US at scale.

In fact, we could say that about the entire world. 

The managing director of tin explorer Caspin Resources (ASX:CPN), Greg Miles, pointed out that tin — critical for data centres and renewable energy — hasn’t seen substantial exploration for four decades. 

He also pointed out that the investment community loves to focus on copper, but the tin price is outperforming both copper and gold in 2026. 

As demand continues to grow, secure supply remains limited, with very few tin projects available to fill the gap. 

You don’t even need two full hands to count the number of tin projects on the ASX, which is also the second-largest equity market for commodities worldwide. If it’s not happening here, it’s not happening anywhere.

The managing director of copper developer Pivotal Metals (ASX:PVT) is Ivan Fairhill. 

He made a similar point. He told the audience that there isn’t a fund manager or investment bank analyst that can’t see the strong fundamentals for copper after years of falling grades, low development, and underfunded exploration. 

And yet, even today, relatively few copper projects are under development. To illustrate why this bodes well for copper explorers and developers, he included the chart below. 

That’s the macro backdrop. But it also comes back to the geology of each project. Cannindah Resources (ASX:CAE) CEO Cam Switzer said there’s a transformational prize potential at the company’s Queensland project. It could only be one drill hole away from a major discovery. That’s the thrill and risk of resource exploration. 

It was a great start to the conference. So much more to come. 

Click here to view the article on mining.com.au