E ai ki ngā pūrongo pāpāho o tāwāhi, i te 4 o Poutū-te-rangi, 2026, kei te whakaaro nui te kamupene keri nui o te ao, a Rio Tinto, ki te tīmata anō i tana kaha whakaputa konumohe hiko kore mahi i tana whare whakarewa konumohe o Te Wai Point tata ki Bluff, Aotearoa – te raupapa hiko Nama 4. Ko te painga matua o tēnei mahere tīmata anō ko te pikinga tonu o ngā utu konumohe o te ao, ā, kua tino whakapai ake i te whaihua o te kaupapa.

E ai ki ngā pūrongo, kua tino kaha te mahi a ngā utu konumohe o te ao i ngā wā tata nei, kua eke ki te taumata $3,000 mō ia tana, ā, kei te tata tonu ki te taumata tiketike o te hītori o te $3,148, he pikinga 24% mai i te mutunga o Poutū-te-rangi o tēnei tau. Kei muri i tēnei pikinga o ngā utu ko ngā āhuatanga pēnei i te whānui haere o te āputa o te tono-tuku o te ao mō te konumohe hiko me te whakawhāiti i te tuku nā te kati o ētahi.ngā tipu konumohe, nā ēnei i piki ake te uara o ngā utu konumohe, ā, nā ēnei i tīmata anō te kaha whakaputa i mua nā ngā take utu. He mea tika kia mōhiotia i eke te utu konumohe o te London Metal Exchange ki te $3,254 ia tana i te wā hokohoko i te 4 o Poutū-te-rangi, me te pikinga ā-roto o te rā neke atu i te 3.8%, ka whakatakoto i tētahi taumata hou tata nei. Kei te piki haere tonu te aro o te mākete ki te ia o ngā utu konumohe i muri mai.

E whakaatu ana ngā mōhiohio a te marea i aukatia te whakaputanga o te raupapa hikohiko Nama 4 o te whare whakarewa konumohe o Te Wai Point i te tīmatanga o te pakarutanga o te COVID-19 i te tau 2020, ā, kua noho mangere tonu mai i taua wā. Hei pūtake whakaputa konumohe nui a Rio Tinto i Aotearoa, he nui te whakawhirinaki o te whare whakarewa ki te tuku hiko, ā, ko ngā utu hiko tētahi o ngā mea nui e pā ana ki te tīmatanga anō o tana kaha. I te tau 2024, kua tīmata a Rio Tinto i ngā whakaritenga tuatahi, ā, kua tīmata ki te tono tono mahi tahi mai i ngā kaiwhakarato hiko e hiahia ana ki te tautoko i tana mahere tīmatanga anō, hei whakatakoto i te turanga mō te tīmatanga anō o te kaha. I mua atu i tēnei, kua tae te whare whakarewa ki ngā whakaaetanga mahi tahi mō te wā roa me ngā kaiwhakarato hiko maha, e whakarato ana i ngā taurangi taketake mō te whakaputa me te whakahaere.

Mō te ahunga whakamua o tēnei whakaara anō i te kaha whakaputa, i kī mārama te kaikorero a Rio Tinto kāore anō kia whakatauhia te whakatau whakamutunga mō te whakaara anō, engari kei te haere tonu ngā whiriwhiringa me ngā kaiwhakarato hiko pea, ā, kei te whakahaerehia hoki ngā mahi whakarite e tika ana i runga i te tikanga tika. E tātari ana ngā tāngata o roto i te umanga mēnā ka angitu te whakaara anō i te raupapa electrolysis Nama 4, ka whakaitihia te iti o te tuku konumohe electrolytic o te ao, ā, i te wa ano, ka āwhina hoki i a Rio Tinto ki te hopu i ngā whai wāhitanga mākete o nāianei o ngā utu konumohe teitei me te whakarei ake i te hua o te kamupene.

Mai i te tirohanga o te taiao mākete whānui, kua kitea te pikinga kaha o te mākete konumohe o te ao mai i te tīmatanga o te tau 2026. Kua eke te utu konumohe toru-marama o te LME ki te tihi o te $3,295.5 ia tana, koinei te taumata teitei rawa atu mai i Paenga-whāwhā 2022. Ko te pikinga o ngā utu konumohe e pā ana ki ngā pānga maha o ngā āhuatanga, tae atu ki te arotakenga anō o te korenga o ngā rauemi, te hanga anō i ngā utu pūngao, me ngā utu mōrearea ā-ao. E matapaetia ana e te pūrongo rangahau a Goldman Sachs ko te utu toharite o te konumohe whakawhiti whakarewa o Rānana (LME) i te haurua tuatahi o te tau 2026 ka tata ki te $3,150 ia tana. Mena ka mau tonu ngā whakararuraru tuku, tera pea ka piki ake ngā utu konumohe ki te $3,600 ia tana i roto i ngā wāhanga, ka whakarato i tētahi taiao mākete pai mō Rio Tinto ki te tīmata anō i tana kaha whakaputa kore mahi.