American Rare Earths’ Halleck Creek project in Wyoming has secured a Seed Translational Acceleration of Research (STAR) award via the University of Wyoming’s NSF Accelerating Research Translation programme to study byproducts and tailings from rare earth extraction. The work, led by Tyler Brown at UW’s School of Energy Resources, will assess technical viability, processing requirements and end-use applications for these materials and their impact on project economics. Halleck Creek metallurgical tests have already upgraded ore from 0.34% to 3.72% TREO, removing 93.5% of non-rare earth material early so only 6.5% requires further refining.

Northern Star Resources is tightening cost discipline and targeting higher productivity across its Australian gold portfolio after a “challenging” period, with particular emphasis on its Kalgoorlie and Yandal operations and integration of the KCGM Super Pit. The company is pushing mine-planning optimisation, fleet efficiency and mill throughput improvements at processing hubs such as Kanowna Belle and Thunderbox, while scrutinising unit costs per ounce. For contractors and suppliers, the shift signals closer attention to drilling productivity, equipment utilisation and ore-handling performance benchmarks on existing brownfield sites.

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.