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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lundin Mining shares fell 10.8% to C$32.72 after the company cut 2026 guidance to 310,000–335,000 tonnes of copper and 134,000–149,000 oz of gold, citing lower underground mining rates at the Candelaria operation in Chile. Caserones delivered a record >15,000 tonnes of copper in December and 132,881 tonnes for 2025, while Candelaria produced 145,471 tonnes, supported by higher mill throughput on softer ore. Lundin is maintaining elevated capex, with 2026 sustaining spend of $550 million and expansionary capex of $445 million, as it targets ~500,000 t/y copper via brownfield expansions and Vicuña district projects.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sandvik is overhauling its global warranty processes for underground and surface mining equipment fleets to create a single, standardised framework across all regions and product lines. The company aims to give mine operators clearer visibility of coverage terms, claim status and component life data for assets such as DS422iE longhole drills and loaders, reducing variation between local service centres. Tighter, globally consistent warranty rules are likely to influence maintenance planning, spares strategies and total cost-of-ownership calculations for both greenfield and brownfield operations.

Robson Civil Projects has been recognised for record-breaking rehabilitation and land management at BHP’s Mt Arthur Coal Mine in the Hunter Valley, where progressive closure works are reshaping large open-cut pits and overburden dumps into stable final landforms. The contractor has delivered high-volume bulk earthworks, topsoil placement and contour ripping, combined with erosion control structures and native pasture and woodland revegetation tailored to local catchments. For geotechnical and civil teams, the project shows large-scale integration of slope regrading, drainage reconfiguration and long-term stability design within an active coal operation.

Gold surged to a record $4,887/oz on Wednesday, its first break above $4,800 and capping a 75% 12‑month gain driven by geopolitical tensions over Greenland, threats of US tariffs on eight European nations, and a meltdown in Japanese government debt that has hammered long-dated Treasuries and the dollar. Central bank demand remains strong, with the National Bank of Poland approving another 150 tonnes of purchases and Bolivia resuming buying under December 2025 reserve rules, while Goldman Sachs maintains a $4,900/oz base‑case target. Silver, despite a 140% rise in 2025 and a fresh record of $95.89/oz on Tuesday, slipped over 1%, with ANZ warning of higher volatility as prices push towards three digits.

Dyno Nobel has launched the Navus handheld blaster, a 600 g electronic initiation device designed to trigger blasts via up to 2,500 m of harness wire anywhere on site. The unit extends the company’s electronic initiation range beyond fixed blast boxes, giving engineers more flexibility in complex pit geometries, underground headings and perimeter stand-off locations. For drill-and-blast teams, the compact form factor and long wire support enable wider separation between charge areas and firing points without adding extra infrastructure.

Liberty Gold’s past-producing Black Pine oxide gold project in southeastern Idaho has been accepted into the US FAST-41 “covered project” programme, giving it a federal permitting timetable, project advisor and public dashboard schedule to be set within 60 days. The brownfield, drive-in/drive-out operation near the Utah border hosts 402.6 million tonnes indicated at 0.32 g/t Au (4.16 Moz) plus 97.7 million tonnes inferred at 0.23 g/t Au (0.71 Moz), with a 2024 PFS outlining 2.2 Moz over 17 years at $1,380/oz AISC and $327 million initial capex. Using $2,000/oz gold and a 5% discount rate, the study shows a post-tax NPV of $550 million and 32% IRR, with feasibility-level engineering and environmental baseline work already under way.

Rio Tinto’s copper output rose 5% in Q4 2025 as a 57% year-on-year surge from the Oyu Tolgoi underground expansion in Mongolia more than offset a 10% production fall at Chile’s Escondida from lower grades and reduced concentrator throughput. The stronger copper performance, which now delivers about a quarter of group half-year profit, forms the backdrop to live takeover talks with Glencore ahead of a 5 February “put up or shut up” deadline, with options including a coal carve-out into a separately listed Australian vehicle. Pilbara iron ore shipments hit a quarterly record 91.3 Mt, Simandou exports commenced with 5–10 Mt targeted for 2026, while aluminium output rose 2%, lithium set a new production record and titanium volumes fell 6% as divestment plans advance.

Brazilian Nickel has signed a non-binding offtake MOU with US-based Westwin Elements to supply up to 10,000 tpa of nickel and 240–400 tpa of cobalt in Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate from the Piauí laterite heap leach project in Brazil, produced via its low-CO2 process. Westwin plans to refine the MHP into class 1 nickel powder and briquettes within the United States for advanced manufacturing and defence applications, supporting US refining capacity. The deal also underpins funding for Brazilian Nickel’s Piauí development alongside existing European offtake agreements with Electro Mobility Materials Europe and Königswarter & Ebell.

Lynas Rare Earths posted solid revenue growth for the December 2025 quarter, driven by stronger rare earth prices and continued output from its Mt Weld mine and Malaysian processing plant, despite operational disruption at the new Kalgoorlie cracking and leaching facility. The Kalgoorlie plant, designed to handle Mt Weld concentrate domestically before export, faced commissioning and ramp-up issues that constrained throughput and temporarily altered product flows. For mine planners and process engineers, the result shows revenue resilience to short-term processing bottlenecks but underlines commissioning risk around new hydrometallurgical circuits.

Evolution Mining reports record December-quarter cash flow, with disciplined operations at assets such as the Cowal gold mine and Mungari underpinning a stronger balance sheet heading into FY26. Higher realised gold prices and stable all-in sustaining costs are feeding directly into free cash generation, giving the company more headroom for capital projects and mine-life extensions across its Australian portfolio. For contractors and suppliers, the improved cash position signals continued spend on underground development, processing upgrades and resource definition drilling rather than aggressive cost-cutting.

Fenner’s grid and gear couplings from Motion are engineered for mining drives exposed to high shock loads, shaft misalignment and abrasive, contaminated environments, targeting applications such as crushers, conveyors and slurry pumps. The metallic grid and gear elements are designed to accommodate angular, parallel and axial misalignment while damping torsional vibration, reducing stress on gearboxes and motors in heavy-duty start–stop duty. For engineers, the key value is longer service intervals and fewer unplanned stoppages on critical rotating equipment in remote sites.

29Metals is launching a $150 million equity raising to keep its copper development pipeline on schedule despite near-term production disruption from seismic activity at its assets. The funding move comes as the company manages operational constraints and remediation costs while seeking to maintain progress on key growth projects rather than cutting back capital programmes. For geotechnical and mining teams, the raise signals continued investment in ground control, seismic monitoring and mine design adjustments rather than prolonged curtailment of underground activity.

Vault Minerals has entered the December 2025 quarter largely unhedged, leaving its gold production fully exposed to prevailing Australian dollar gold prices rather than locked into forward sales. The move gives the company direct leverage to current spot prices above historical averages, but also increases cash flow volatility compared with typical producer hedging strategies. Mine planners, treasury teams and contractors linked to Vault’s operations should expect greater sensitivity of budgets and project timing to short-term price swings over the quarter.

Reviving Venezuela’s vertically integrated aluminium chain would cost up to $2.3 billion, with Wood Mackenzie estimating $100–$200 million to restart the Los Pijiguaos bauxite mine to around 2 Mtpa, $500–$600 million to rehabilitate the Interalumina refinery to roughly 1 Mtpa, and $1–$1.5 billion to bring the 460,000 tpa Venalum smelter back online. BMI and BNEF stress that metal output has fallen over 90% since 2004, citing degraded infrastructure, chronic power instability at the Guri hydro complex, security risks and opaque regulation. Analysts warn that, despite 300 Mt of proved bauxite reserves and extensive inferred resources, political risk, sanctions exposure and faster, cheaper oil developments are likely to keep large-scale mining capital sidelined for at least a decade.

USA Rare Earth will build a 3,750 tpa rare earth metal and alloy plant in Lacq, France, co-located with Carester’s 1,600 tpa Caremag oxide processing facility due for commissioning in late 2026, creating an integrated European processing platform. The French government will part-fund the project with equipment credits covering up to 45% of eligible kit and up to €130 million for real estate. The plant extends USAR’s mine-to-magnet chain anchored by the Round Top deposit in Texas and its 28,800 m² magnet plant in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Gold surged to a record $4,749.84/oz on Tuesday, up nearly 8% year-to-date, while silver hit an all-time high of $95.89/oz after tripling over the past year, as investors moved into safe havens amid US–Europe tensions over President Trump’s push to take control of Greenland and threats of tariffs on eight opposing European nations. The rally builds on gold’s strongest annual performance since 1979, supported by falling US interest rates, central bank buying and expectations of two 25 bps Federal Reserve cuts from mid‑2026. Major banks now see gold reaching $4,800–$5,000/oz by mid‑year, but a Bank of America survey finds fund managers calling it the “most crowded trade”, signalling growing caution on further upside.

Centerra Gold’s Kemess copper-gold project in British Columbia has returned a base case post-tax NPV of $1.1 billion (5% discount) and 16.4% IRR in a new PEA, with initial capital of $771 million for a 15-year conventional open pit and longhole open stoping operation. The study lifts indicated resources to 244.4 million tonnes at 0.42 g/t gold and 0.21% copper, and inferred resources to 299.6 million tonnes at 0.37 g/t gold and 0.19% copper, leveraging existing Kemess infrastructure. Using spot prices of $4,500/oz gold and $6/lb copper, NPV rises to $2.7 billion and IRR to 29%, prompting BMO to raise its target price for Centerra to C$32/share.

Rio Tinto has energised a new 25 MW solar plant at its Kennecott copper operations in Utah, adding to a 5 MW solar facility completed in 2023 to expand on-site renewable power. The project showcases a circular critical-minerals supply chain, with tellurium recovered at Kennecott used in manufacturing the solar panels that now supply the mine. For mine planners and process engineers, the build-out signals further integration of site-derived critical minerals into decarbonised power infrastructure for large-scale copper operations.

Digital integration of geotechnical data at Anglo American’s Barro Alto nickel mine in Brazil is using Seequent’s Central and Leapfrog Geo platforms to create a single, live subsurface model for risk management. Drillhole, mapping, monitoring and laboratory data are being federated into a cloud-based environment, enabling near real-time updates to pit slope designs and geotechnical domains. The approach is cutting manual data handling, improving traceability of design decisions and giving geotechnical engineers faster decision cycles for slope stability and mine planning.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has delivered Washington a vetted shortlist of mining and processing assets for US investment, including Kisenge manganese and cassiterite licences, Gecamines’ Mutoshi copper‑cobalt project, Cominiere lithium permits and Sakima coltan, gold and wolframite operations, under a Dec. 4 accord granting US firms privileged access to its copper, cobalt, lithium and tantalum. The move directly challenges Chinese operators CMOC, Zijin and Huayou, which control about 80% of Congo’s output including Tenke Fungurume, the world’s second‑largest cobalt source. BMO analysts warn that how and when the US releases its recently built copper, platinum and palladium inventories—potentially to Cold War‑scale levels—has become the key variable for metals prices and project economics.

Immersive Technologies is deploying simulator-based training programmes to help mines cope with acute supervisor shortages as veteran foremen retire and less-experienced operators are promoted early. Its solutions use high-fidelity equipment simulators and scenario-based modules to build decision-making, crew leadership, and shift management skills for haul truck, shovel, and drill supervisors in a controlled environment. Operators can rehearse responses to production bottlenecks, near-miss incidents, and equipment downtime events, allowing sites to standardise supervisory competence and reduce on-the-job learning risk.

Programmed has secured a contract with Pilbara Minerals (PLS) to provide village management services at the Pilgangoora lithium operation in Western Australia’s Pilbara, billed as the world’s largest independent hard-rock lithium mine. The partnership covers support for daily life in remote workforce villages, including accommodation, catering and facilities management for fly-in fly-out crews. For mine operators, the move signals further outsourcing of non-core site services at large-scale lithium projects to specialist camp and village providers.

Geopolitical tension, China’s 15th Five-Year Plan pivoting from infrastructure to consumption, and US mid-term election uncertainty are set to make 2026 a volatile year for metals demand and pricing, with Wood Mackenzie lifting its base-case warming outlook to 2.6°C as decarbonisation slows. Copper is singled out for tight supply and tariff risk while most other metals remain oversupplied, pressuring prices even as solid-state battery progress and AI-driven data centre loads reshape power and metals demand. Capital discipline will keep miners favouring buybacks and M&A over greenfield projects, amplifying substitution battles such as copper versus aluminium and extending timelines in resource-nationalist jurisdictions.

Atlas Copco has expanded its DrillAir range with the X-Air⁺ 800-20 portable compressor, offering higher air flow than the earlier X-Air⁺ 750-25 while maintaining a compact canopy footprint for easier positioning on constrained drill pads. The unit is engineered to deliver full air power at a practical drilling pressure, targeting down-the-hole and rotary blast-hole rigs that need high-volume compressed air without upsizing carriers or compromising manoeuvrability. For mine operators, the design aims to support deeper or larger-diameter holes using existing drill fleets and standard transport logistics.

Schlam has delivered its 300th Hercules dump truck tray to Fortescue, marking a long-running fleet fit-out across the miner’s Western Australian iron ore operations. The lightweight Hercules bodies are designed to increase payload on ultra-class haul trucks by several tonnes compared with standard OEM trays, using high-strength wear-resistant steel and optimised geometry to reduce carryback. For mine planners and maintenance teams, the scale of deployment signals confidence in life-cycle performance, structural fatigue behaviour and compatibility with Fortescue’s autonomous haulage systems.

GRX Industry Awards will return on 6 May 2026 at the Global Resources Innovation Expo (GRX26) Awards Dinner in Perth, Western Australia, recognising mining and METS companies, technologies and individuals driving sector innovation. Categories will focus on leadership and “groundbreaking technologies”, signalling strong interest in digital mining systems, automation and advanced processing solutions. METS suppliers developing novel sensing, data analytics or equipment platforms for underground and surface operations may see this as a key showcase for commercial deployment and industry validation.

Brightstar Resources is upgrading its legacy Beta mill near Laverton into a 1.5 Mtpa gold processing hub, targeting ore from its Cork Tree Well, Menzies and Laverton projects in Western Australia’s north-eastern Goldfields. The refurbishment includes modern gravity and CIL circuits, new crushing and screening equipment, and structural repairs to the existing plant rather than a greenfield build. For mine planners and process engineers, the hub-and-spoke model reduces haul distances to a central mill and enables staged feed blending from multiple open pits and underground sources.