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South32’s Australian operations have rebounded in the first half of FY26, with stronger output from its manganese and zinc businesses lifting group production and offsetting weaker contributions from some overseas assets. The turnaround centres on operations such as GEMCO and Cannington, where higher ore grades and improved plant availability have supported increased concentrate and alloy volumes. For mine planners and process engineers, the performance points to continued investment in brownfield debottlenecking and reliability upgrades rather than major greenfield capacity additions in the near term.

New Murchison Gold has logged a fourth straight month of rising output from its Crown Prince underground mine in Western Australia, following the first production blast at the newly developed Crown Prince lode. The operation is ramping up stoping and ore haulage from fresh development headings, feeding higher-grade material into the existing New Murchison processing circuit rather than building new plant. For mine planners and geotechs, the sustained lift signals stable ground conditions and successful sequencing of new stopes, with scope to refine drilling, blasting and backfill strategies as production scales.

Regis Resources posted record operating cashflow from its Duketon and Tropicana operations in the December quarter, driven by solid gold production and firm Australian-dollar gold prices. The Duketon gold project in Western Australia, comprising multiple open pits and underground sources, continued to optimise mill throughput and grade control, while the Tropicana joint venture maintained stable output from its large-scale processing plant on the Great Victoria Desert margin. Strong cash generation gives Regis more flexibility for pit cutbacks, underground development and potential reserve growth drilling across both assets.

SMS Equipment has entered the European market by acquiring Suomen Rakennuskone Oy, Finland’s exclusive Komatsu dealer for mining and construction equipment, adding to its existing operations in Canada, Alaska and Mongolia. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Pirkkala, Suomen Rakennuskone runs branches in Kempele, Kuopio, Vantaa and near the Kevitsa mine, providing sales, maintenance, parts, training and technical support. The move gives SMS direct access to Finland’s nickel- and gold-dominated mining sector, with additional exposure to cobalt and lithium projects.

Exitflex hydraulic hoses supplied by Motion are being promoted for abrasive, high-pressure mining environments where conventional hose assemblies often fail prematurely. The range targets hydraulic circuits on drills, loaders and longwall equipment exposed to rock fines, impact and pressure spikes, with reinforced constructions and abrasion-resistant outer covers designed to extend service intervals. For maintenance and reliability engineers, the key implication is potential reduction in unplanned downtime and hose-change labour in harsh open-pit and underground applications.

Construction has commenced on a new reinforced concrete replacement for the 1947 timber Rainbow Creek Bridge on Traralgon–Maffra Road between Cowwarr and Heyfield in regional Victoria. The project includes realignment of both road approaches to improve geometry and load performance compared with the ageing timber structure, which is likely constrained under current heavy vehicle configurations. For geotechnical and civil teams, key tasks will centre on new creek-crossing foundations, approach embankment works and managing construction staging to maintain regional traffic connectivity.

More than 280 roads across Australia will receive Federal Government funding for safety upgrades in 2025–26 under the national Black Spot Program, targeting locations with a documented crash history or high predicted crash risk. Works will focus on engineering treatments such as new or upgraded traffic signals, installation of roundabouts and other geometric improvements at intersections and mid-block sections. Designers and road authorities can expect funding support specifically for physical, site-specific interventions rather than broader corridor renewals or routine maintenance.

Global mine development has shifted decisively to brownfield expansion, with a University of Queensland study of 366 sites in 58 countries showing brownfield capital dominated by copper (just under 50%), followed by gold (17.5%), iron ore (14.4%) and nickel (6.3%). Chile accounts for 25.2% of global brownfield capex, ahead of the US (11.4%) and Australia (10.1%), while minesite exploration by majors in Pacific and Southeast Asia has surged from 27.3% of budgets in 2010 to 76.8% in 2024. Nearly 80% of brownfield mines assessed via satellite sit in areas with multiple high-risk conditions, and over half lie within 20 km of biodiversity hotspots or protected areas, signalling tighter geotechnical, water and permitting constraints for future expansions.

Gold prices surged nearly 2% to a record $4,923.63/oz on Thursday, with silver jumping 3% to $96.57/oz, as US data showing resilient jobs and consumer spending boosted expectations of two Federal Reserve rate cuts in H2 2026 and weakened the dollar. Safe-haven flows were already elevated after President Trump’s tariff threats against European states opposing his Greenland takeover plan, with both metals setting successive session records. Goldman Sachs has lifted its year-end gold forecast to $5,400/oz, citing intensifying central-bank and private-investor demand.

Government policy is set to dominate mining investment in 2026, with 47% of respondents to White & Case’s Mining & Metals 2026 survey citing political variables and nearly 40% expecting state‑backed financing to be the main tool in developed markets. Some 73% foresee widening divergence between US and Chinese critical minerals policy, while a funding gap between the US and Europe is seen as a key opportunity, alongside risks of over‑expansion and a two‑to‑three‑year “gold rush” bubble. Copper and gold are viewed as the “sure bet” price risers, with gold miners seen as prime consolidation targets and strategic partnerships favoured over traditional M&A.

Deployment of Fleet Space Technologies’ ExoSphere ambient noise tomography platform at Fermi Exploration’s Perch River uranium project in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin is refining subsurface imaging and defining a new high-priority exploration corridor. Satellite-connected geophones are generating 3D velocity models to map structure beneath cover, allowing Fermi to tighten drill targeting and reduce reliance on wide-spaced reconnaissance holes. For geologists and geophysicists, the work signals broader use of rapid passive seismic surveys to de-risk early-stage basement-hosted uranium exploration in deeply covered terrains.

Goldman Sachs has raised its 2026 year-end gold price forecast to $5,400/oz after bullion gained about 40% last year and a further 11% since January, with spot trading around $4,885/oz and brushing a record $4,887.19. Analysts cite sustained central bank buying of roughly 60 tonnes in 2026, led by emerging markets diversifying reserves, plus private-sector investors using gold to hedge global policy risk and not liquidating positions. The bank warns downside risk remains if long-run monetary policy risks ease sharply.

HS2’s Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture will start driving the Euston link tunnels from Old Oak Common next week, progressing the underground connection towards the central London terminus. The works will extend the existing Old Oak Common tunnel drives, using large-diameter TBMs to thread beneath dense urban infrastructure and utilities on the approach to Euston. Geotechnical and structural interface risks around existing Network Rail assets and deep foundations will be critical, with settlement control and real-time monitoring likely to dominate construction methodology.

Thames Water has begun procurement for a £5.7bn design-and-build contract to deliver the proposed Abingdon strategic reservoir in Oxfordshire, covering full design, construction, testing and commissioning under a single main contractor. The utility describes the selection as an “extensive” multi-stage process, signalling a long lead-in for bidders needing capability in large earthworks, major water-retaining structures and complex commissioning. For civil and geotechnical contractors, the scale and integrated scope point to significant opportunities in reservoir embankment design, seepage control and long-term performance monitoring systems.

SMS Equipment is entering the European market by acquiring Suomen Rakennuskone Oy, a major Finnish distributor of Komatsu construction and mining equipment with an established service network across Finland. The deal adds European coverage to SMS Equipment’s existing operations in Canada, Alaska and Mongolia, giving miners a single dealer group spanning Arctic, sub-Arctic and boreal conditions. For mine operators, the move could simplify fleet standardisation, parts logistics and maintenance planning for Komatsu haul trucks and excavators across multiple cold-climate jurisdictions.

National Grid has lodged four planning applications to upgrade the high‑voltage transmission route between Pentir, near Bangor, and Trawsfynydd in north‑west Wales, a key corridor for moving power from existing and planned generation in Snowdonia. The works are expected to involve reinforcement of existing 400kV infrastructure, substation modifications and associated civil works along the existing wayleave rather than a completely new route. Geotechnical and civil teams should anticipate foundation strengthening, access upgrades and construction phasing constraints on an energised strategic asset.

A 7m pedestrian bridge in the Netherlands has been unveiled as the world’s first using a concrete mix claimed to be CO₂‑neutral over its life cycle. Developers report that the binder system and aggregate selection are engineered so that production and curing emissions are fully offset by in‑service CO₂ uptake, without relying on external carbon credits. For designers, the project signals that carbon‑neutral structural concrete is moving from lab trials to full‑scale applications, raising immediate questions on durability testing, Eurocode compliance and verification of whole‑life carbon accounting.

Sandvik has secured a SEK417 million (~$46 million) order from The Redpath Group to supply underground mining equipment for Evolution Mining’s Cowal Gold Operations in New South Wales, covering load-and-haul, development and production drilling fleets. The package includes a Rhino 100 mobile raiseboring machine, signalling a push towards faster slot-raise development compared with conventional longhole methods. For mine planners and contractors, the deal points to continued investment in high-productivity underground fleets at Cowal as it expands below the existing open pit.

LGMG Peru has started 2026 with orders for 226 units of mining trucks and excavators now operating or being delivered across Peruvian mine sites, positioning the Chinese OEM as one of the country’s main heavy equipment suppliers. The scale of the fleet signals growing acceptance of LGMG’s large-capacity haul trucks and hydraulic excavators in hard‑rock open pits, where competition from established brands is intense. For mine operators, the move widens options for fleet renewal strategies, parts sourcing, and maintenance planning in a tight equipment market.

South32 is funding a US$35 million work programme at the high-grade Arctic polymetallic deposit in Alaska’s Ambler district through its 50:50 Ambler Metals joint venture with Trilogy Metals, within the 1,900 km² Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects that also host the Bornite copper deposit. The 2026 field season will focus on geotechnical and condemnation drilling at Arctic to refine mine design, infrastructure siting and long-term production planning, while upgrading the Bornite camp for multi‑year operations. South32 has also sold about US$17.8 million of Trilogy shares to the US Department of War, giving Washington a 10% stake ahead of a planned independent JV management team and intensified permitting and technical studies.

Sustainability reporting in construction is described as fragmented and inconsistent, with project disclosures difficult to compare and data quality varying widely across contractors and asset owners. This patchwork approach is exposing schemes to reputational, regulatory and operational risk, particularly as clients demand verifiable carbon footprints, lifecycle assessments and supply chain traceability aligned with frameworks such as the GHG Protocol and EU taxonomy. For geotechnical and civil engineers, the direction of travel points to standardised metrics on embodied carbon in concrete and steel, site energy use and materials sourcing becoming routine contract requirements.

Mining’s post-2011 austerity playbook, dominated by CFO-style leaders focused on cost-cutting, dividends and buybacks, is colliding with a structurally tighter supply environment where gold trades well above $2,000/oz and permitting and reserve replacement are slower and harder than at any point in recent decades. Erik Groves, corporate strategy lead and in-house counsel at Morgan Companies, argues that companies which kept building mines through the downturn are already outperforming more cautious peers as investors rotate to visible growth. He calls for geologists and technical project builders to regain strategic authority, balancing financial discipline with long-horizon investment in new ore bodies.

The British Construction & Infrastructure Awards 2026 have opened for entries, marking the 39th year of the UK programme recognising major civil engineering and infrastructure delivery. Organised by New Civil Engineer, the BCIAs typically cover categories spanning bridges, tunnels, rail, highways, water, energy and digital design, with judging focused on technical innovation, programme performance and whole‑life asset outcomes. Project teams, clients and contractors now have a limited window to submit schemes, with shortlisted entries often used as benchmarks for design standards, construction methods and risk management practice.

Civil engineering contractor Barhale has promoted southern regional director Phil Cull to national executive director, adding him to the company’s strategic board. His former southern region remit is being split, with former water director Shane Gorman becoming southern region director – infrastructure and projects director Daniel Meadowcroft moving to southern region director – projects, both joining the operations board. Gorman and Meadowcroft will report to newly appointed chief operating executive James Ingamells, signalling a tighter, board-level focus on regional delivery of Barhale’s infrastructure and project portfolios.

Homes England has signed a building lease with Vistry to redevelop Birmingham’s decommissioned City Hospital site into 750 homes, including 698 new-build units and 52 one- and two-bedroom apartments within the converted former infirmary, with 35% of the scheme designated as affordable housing. Asbestos removal began in December 2025, with major demolition of most existing hospital structures to follow and main construction scheduled for the second half of 2026. First completions are targeted for early 2027, turning a complex brownfield healthcare estate into a dense, mixed-tenure urban neighbourhood with some commercial uses.

Westmorland & Furness Council has appointed Muse Places, working through the ECF partnership with Homes England and Legal & General, as development partner for Barrow’s Marina Village, a waterfront neighbourhood planned for around 1,350 homes plus a nature conservation area and public open space. Phase one remediation of six hectares, funded by £5.5m from the Getting Building Fund, finished in November 2023, while phase two is remediating a further 19 hectares with £24.8m BIL funding, including realignment of Cavendish Dock Road, utilities diversion/protection and temporary relocation of a council waste depot. Planning approval for phase three, which will unlock a further 16% of the site once biodiversity net gain credits are agreed, and the new pre-development agreement will lead into a full master development agreement covering design, infrastructure phasing and funding.

JCB technical service director Phil Layton has begun a two-year term as president of the Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE), representing the UK’s Construction Equipment Association. Layton plans to prioritise decarbonisation of construction machinery fleets, support for open global markets and a more competitive regulatory framework for European OEMs. CECE’s immediate policy push targets EU secondary legislation on road circulation of construction machinery and a guidance document for implementing the new Machinery Regulation, ahead of the CECE congress in London on 27–29 October.

Contracts signed by Southwark Council with Wates Residential and Mount Anvil will deliver at least 1,149 new homes across eight infill and estate sites in Peckham, Camberwell, Rotherhithe and Bermondsey. Wates will build a minimum of 343 homes on Gloucester Grove, Bells Gardens, Lindley Estate and Wyndham Road, all classed as affordable, including at least 131 new council units. Mount Anvil will deliver at least 786 homes at Seven Islands Leisure Centre, Red Lion Boys Club, Priter Road and Beormund School, with a minimum 50% affordable and at least 229 council homes.

Westminster City Council has agreed a £229m budget with McLaren Construction for phase two of the Ebury Bridge regeneration in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, covering three independent and two adjoined residential blocks that required four separate building safety applications to the Building Safety Regulator. The wider scheme will deliver 779 homes across three phases, including 373 for social rent, with phase two adding 334 units, 228 of them for social rent, plus reinstated Ebury Bridge Road retail frontage and new commercial premises. McLaren will use prefabricated façade elements to cut material movements, with main construction starting later in 2025 and completion scheduled for May 2029.

Zenzic Capital and Jensco have launched a UK single-family rental platform by forward funding 125 new-build Vistry homes at the Great Haddon scheme in Peterborough, backed by an initial £31m investment. Construction of the purpose-built rental units is due to start later this year, with Vistry using its partnership model to deliver professionally managed, higher energy-performance homes for strong local demand. The Zenzic-Jensco venture targets a portfolio of around 1,000 homes, signalling growing institutional capital flows into single-family build-to-rent product.

The first UK standard for women’s safety on construction sites has been launched at the House of Lords, creating a formal national benchmark for site conditions, behaviour and facilities. Developed to address harassment, inadequate PPE fit and lack of appropriate welfare provision, the standard is intended for adoption by principal contractors, clients and supply chains across major infrastructure and building projects. Contractors will be expected to embed its requirements into site inductions, toolbox talks and subcontract terms, with compliance likely to influence prequalification and framework bids.

Mira Geoscience has acquired SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc’s HiveMap platform, a digital geological and geotechnical field mapping system designed for efficient collection, visualisation and interpretation of geoscientific data. HiveMap integrates directly with photogrammetry and LiDAR workflows, allowing structural, lithological and geotechnical observations to be tied to high-resolution 3D surfaces and point clouds. The acquisition signals tighter coupling between field mapping, 3D geomodelling and mine-scale geotechnical analysis within Mira’s existing integrated geoscience software suite.

EnviroGold Global has reported a technical advance in its proprietary NVRO Process™ after gaining a much sharper understanding of sulphide pre-concentration behaviour within the process flowsheet. The company says the revised sulphide pre-concentration stage materially improves project economics for the NVRO Process when treating a broader range of tailings, rather than only high-grade or narrowly specified feeds. This could open commercial opportunities for reprocessing complex sulphidic tailings storage facilities, where variable mineralogy and fine particle size have previously limited viable recovery.

Engineering and design firm Cowi has been appointed by the European Investment Bank to advise the Irish government on a nationwide district heating strategy expected to support up to €4bn (£3.5bn) of heat network infrastructure by 2035. The mandate will shape technical standards, phasing and financing for multiple urban heat networks, likely integrating waste heat, large-scale heat pumps and thermal storage into existing gas- and electricity-dominated systems. Civil and energy engineers should expect demand for detailed network routing, trench design, and interface works with dense urban utilities and building retrofit programmes.

Construction of the Chimney Hollow Reservoir in Colorado has delivered the US’s largest asphalt-core rockfill dam (ACRD), with main works now complete and the structure built to full height on schedule. Engineers had to manage complex rockfill placement around a central asphalt core, stringent seepage control, and tight temperature and compaction windows for the asphaltic concrete in a high-altitude environment. The project’s performance will be closely watched by dam designers considering ACRD solutions for sites with challenging foundations and seismic demands.

Energy Fuels’ proposed acquisition of Australian Strategic Materials, owner of the Dubbo rare earths and critical minerals project in New South Wales, signals accelerating competition for advanced projects ahead of 2026. Iluka Resources is progressing its Eneabba rare earths refinery in Western Australia, designed to process monazite concentrate from its Eneabba mineral sands operations into separated oxides. Other 2026‑watch projects include Arafura Rare Earths’ Nolans in the NT, Hastings’ Yangibana in the Gascoyne, and Lynas’ Kalgoorlie cracking and leaching plant, all targeting neodymium–praseodymium supply.

Fortescue Metals has reported record first-half iron ore shipments from its Pilbara operations while advancing a major renewables build-out to cut diesel and gas use across mines and rail. The company is progressing large-scale solar and wind installations tied into its high-voltage transmission network and battery storage, aiming to displace fossil fuel power at processing plants and dewatering systems. For mine planners and engineers, the shift implies future pit, haul road and plant layouts will need to accommodate renewable generation footprints and grid-integration infrastructure.

The Western Australian Government has extended its coal supply agreement with Griffin Coal beyond July 2026 by up to five years to maintain fuel to the 854MW Collie power stations during the state’s staged coal-fired generation exit. The extension secures continued open-cut operations at the Collie mine, which has historically supplied several million tonnes of thermal coal per year to Synergy under long-term contracts. For geotechnical and mining teams, the decision signals ongoing pit stability management, overburden handling and progressive rehabilitation planning on a multi-year horizon rather than rapid closure.

Two major Victorian road intersection projects are advancing, with Fulton Hogan awarded the Henderson Road–Ferntree Gully Road upgrade in Knoxfield and an $83.5 million contract let for the Ballan Road intersection in Melbourne’s west. Works will reconfigure both intersections to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion while adding safer walking and cycling movements through new signalisation and layout changes. Civil contractors can expect significant pavement reconstruction, drainage adjustments and staged traffic management on constrained urban corridors.

The Worley Arcadis Joint Venture has secured the marine technical advisory contract for Western Australia’s Westport programme, one of the state’s largest infrastructure undertakings centred on a new container port and associated road and rail links in Kwinana. The JV will advise on channel alignment, berth layout, breakwaters and dredging strategies, feeding into detailed planning for deep-water access and long-term port capacity beyond Fremantle’s current constraints. Geotechnical, coastal and structural inputs from this work will strongly influence reclamation design, ground improvement requirements and future marine construction methodologies.

Researchers at Monash University have developed a hydrometallurgical process to recover high‑purity critical metals from spent lithium‑ion batteries using greener reagents than conventional strong mineral acids. Led by PhD student Parisa Biniaz and Dr Parama Banerjee, the lab‑scale method targets elements such as lithium, cobalt and nickel from shredded cathode material while minimising secondary waste streams. The approach points to lower‑impact recycling flowsheets that could reduce reliance on primary ore for battery metals and change leach chemistry assumptions in future plant design.

Validation test work at Fortune Minerals’ NICO project in Canada’s Northwest Territories has confirmed production of battery grade cobalt sulphate heptahydrate using an optimised, simplified hydrometallurgical flowsheet with good metal recoveries, aimed at curbing capital and operating cost escalation. The planned development combines an open pit and underground mine plus concentrator feeding a dedicated refinery in Alberta to produce cobalt sulphate, bismuth ingots and copper cement, underpinned by 1.1 million in-situ oz of gold. Funding includes C$7.5 million from Natural Resources Canada and US$6.38 million from the US Department of Defense.

Bellevue Gold lifted December quarter production to 37,338oz at its Western Australian Bellevue project, up from 27,338oz in the September quarter, driven by higher mined grades averaging 7.1g/t gold. The company processed 176,000 tonnes of ore through the 1Mtpa nameplate plant, with recoveries reported at 96 per cent as underground stoping ramped up across the Armand, Deacon and Bellevue lodes. Management reaffirmed guidance of 75,000–85,000oz for the June 2024 half-year, signalling continued optimisation of stope sequencing and grade control.

Westgold Resources posted a “blockbuster” December 2025 quarter, roughly doubling operating cashflow on the back of record gold production from its Western Australian underground and open-pit operations and a strong Australian-dollar gold price. The company flagged higher mill throughput and improved head grades across key assets such as Big Bell and Bluebird, with unit costs falling despite inflationary pressure on labour and explosives. Strong cash generation gives Westgold more room to fund sustaining capital for underground development, accelerate resource drilling, and consider debt reduction or dividends without curbing mine-life extension work.