Strabag and Group company Züblin have secured the design-and-build structural works for the ABS Gäubahn Nord/Pfaffensteig Tunnel in south-west Germany, centred on an 11km twin-bore rail tunnel linking Stuttgart Airport station directly to the Gäubahn line towards Switzerland. About 9.8km will be driven by two TBMs, with conventional tunnelling for the A8 motorway undercrossing and airport connection, plus a 240m cut-and-cover section, retaining structures, railway underpasses and a grade-separated crossing. A 3km surface section will be upgraded and partially realigned for 200km/h operation, delivered under an integrated project delivery model with Ed. Züblin, Wayss & Freytag and Strabag AG sharing tunnelling, structural and earthworks packages.

A 271.5‑tonne Herrenknecht Mixshield TBM, Caroline, has started driving a 2.2km electricity cable tunnel with a 4m internal diameter beneath the River Thames in Essex for National Grid’s Grain to Tilbury project, delivered by the Ferrovial BEMO joint venture. The drive will pass through variable Thames estuary ground conditions between 35m‑deep launch and reception shafts of 15m and 12m diameter, with tunnelling continuing into 2026 and overall scheme completion targeted for 2029. The new tunnel will replace the 1969 Thames Cable Tunnel and carry new high‑voltage circuits between Grain and Tilbury substations.

A 13.46m diameter Herrenknecht Mixshield TBM has broken through into the future Balboa station on Panama Metro Line 3 after completing the first-ever TBM undercrossing of the Panama Canal at depths exceeding 60m below sea level. The 5,600kW, 26,616kNm machine, fitted with an accessible cutterhead and more than 4,500 sensors linked via the Herrenknecht.Connected platform, has achieved peak advance of 150 segment rings (about 300m) per month through mixed sandstone, tuff, breccias and basalt. Around 1.5km of the 4.5km twin-track tunnel remains to final breakthrough.

Federal funding for New York’s US$16bn Hudson Tunnel Project has been frozen, forcing the Gateway Development Commission to suspend works from 6 February after spending over US$1bn and employing about 1,000 site workers. A Manhattan federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order, giving the administration until 5 p.m. on 12 February to restore reimbursements or appeal, while contractors warn that demobilisation, resequencing and remobilisation will add cost and delay. Sites are now in “safe-pause” mode, with dewatering, ground support and environmental monitoring maintained, and assembly of two Herrenknecht TBMs in New Jersey likely to slip beyond the planned spring 2026 launch without funding certainty.

Swiss Federal Railways has awarded an Implenia/Marti 50:50 joint venture five of six MehrSpur Zurich–Winterthur lots worth just under CHF 1.7 billion, including the 8.3 km Brüttener tunnel (Lot 240) with twin 10 m diameter single-track tubes and a 1 km spur to Zurich Airport. TBM excavation will start in August 2029, with a roughly ten-year construction phase using BIM for planning and execution and extensive special foundations, earthworks and embankments. Additional works cover full redevelopment of Dietlikon station, about 6 km of new track across Dietlikon and Wallisellen sections, multiple underpasses, bridges and the Neumühle railway bridge and Storchen underpass near Winterthur.

Glencore has placed a US$250 million order with Finning’s South America business to supply more than 20 large Caterpillar mining trucks, ancillary equipment and technology support for the planned 2026 restart of the Alumbrera copper mine in Argentina. The package, disclosed in Finning’s Q1 2026 results, centres on fleet renewal and digital support rather than life-extension of legacy units. For mine planners and maintenance teams, the scale and timing signal a shift towards a modernised, OEM-supported truck fleet ahead of full production ramp-up.

MAX Power Mining has secured an additional 155,125 acres (628 sq. km) of permits contiguous with its 1,224 sq. km Lawson natural hydrogen project in south-central Saskatchewan, creating the newly named Aurora project on a basement-controlled structural play along the Paleoproterozoic–Archean contact of the Sask Craton. The company has now accumulated 660,263 acres (2,672 sq. km) of provincial permits across the Genesis Trend while running a multi-well commercial validation drill programme at Lawson targeting large-scale natural hydrogen. An MOU with the City of Moose Jaw links potential hydrogen development to a nearby heavy industrial and major data centre corridor, signalling early focus on local offtake and infrastructure integration.

American Mineral Resources is assembling a seven-jurisdiction portfolio across Quebec, British Columbia, Yukon, Chile, New Zealand, Western Australia and Tanzania, with its Piscau North polymetallic project in Quebec earmarked for a separate Canadian Securities Exchange listing, as it targets a Nasdaq uplist within 12 months via the OTCQB. CEO Ryan Cunningham is prioritising projects with existing permits or modest capex and argues that jurisdictional risk now rivals grade, citing Quebec’s Gaspé oil drilling ban as a warning. He also points to Canada’s flow-through share regime as a key financing advantage over US markets still fixated on AI and tech.

US Department of Energy is offering up to $65.5 million in cost-shared funding for projects that convert stranded, flared or contaminant-limited oil and gas streams into high-value, transportable products and field-test modular gas conversion and sour gas processing units in active basins. Additional funding targets advanced materials and equipment—compressors, valves, piping, storage tanks, coatings and alloys—to cut product losses and harden midstream infrastructure. A third track backs digital twins, continuous monitoring and full-scale smart test sites to optimise upstream and midstream operations, building on a separate $150 million programme for unconventional reservoirs and hydraulic fracture characterisation.

LoopX has signed a three‑year R&D partnership with Vale Base Metals to develop and validate “Physical AI” systems for underground operations, targeting intelligent and autonomous mining fleets. CEO and founder Chao Yu says the work will focus on AI-powered control that can directly interact with physical mining environments, aiming to improve safety and productivity in confined headings and dynamic stopes. For engineers, the deal signals accelerated testing of autonomy algorithms, sensing suites and decision systems in real production drifts rather than only in lab or surface testbeds.

Newmont expects a planned nearshore barrier at the Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland Province to unlock more than 5 million oz of additional gold from 2028, while reaffirming 2026 production guidance after Q2 output of 1.3 million oz of gold, 17,000 tonnes of copper and 7 million oz of silver. Q2 cash flow from operations reached $2.9 billion and free cash flow hit a record $2.2 billion, with all-in sustaining costs of $1,621/oz against a $1,680/oz guidance and an average realised gold price of $4,414/oz. Management also reported regulatory progress at the Red Chris block cave in British Columbia and resumed cave production at Cadia in Australia, but flagged higher sustaining capital in Q3 and rising capital estimates at Red Chris.

Fitzroy Minerals has extended broad, shallow copper mineralisation along the 1.7 km Tenorita trend at its Buen Retiro project in Chile, with hole BRT-DDH072 cutting 111.9 m at 0.97% Cu from 21.1 m depth, including 18 m at 1.59% Cu from 84 m, and BRT-DDH070 returning 147.7 m at 0.41% Cu from 26.3 m. The company has completed 78 diamond holes for 13,036 m since February and plans a further 9,000 m this year to deliver a maiden resource and prefeasibility study by mid-2027 under its earn-in with Pucobre and SCM Buen Retiro. Fitzroy is evaluating a near-surface heap-leach operation supplying existing SX-EW capacity about 90 km away, targeting production from this brownfield Atacama IOCG system in 2028.

Agnico Eagle Mines is investing $60 million to buy 8.7 million shares in Cadillac Mines’ $385 million TSX IPO at $6.90 per share, lifting its stake from 9.7% to about 11% and deepening its position along Quebec–Ontario’s Cadillac-Larder Lake Break. Cadillac controls roughly 40 km of strike and one of the Abitibi greenstone belt’s largest land packages, including the historic Kerr-Addison mine, which produced 11 million oz. gold and now hosts 78.5 Mt indicated at 1.34 g/t and 25.9 Mt inferred at 2.7 g/t. For operators in Abitibi, the move signals continued capital support for brownfield resource growth and potential future mill-feed or consolidation options around Canadian Malartic, LaRonde and Macassa.

EDF has approved a two-year life extension for its Hartlepool and Heysham 1 advanced gas-cooled reactor stations, keeping both 1970s-vintage plants in operation until 2030 instead of closing in 2028. The decision secures several gigawatts of baseload capacity on the UK grid, deferring decommissioning and major dismantling works on the reactor pressure vessels, graphite cores and reinforced concrete biological shields. Civil and structural teams will need to manage ageing mechanisms in pre-stressed concrete, containment structures and cooling water systems under extended inspection and maintenance regimes.

Skills shortages across civil engineering and construction are increasing workplace risk, RoSPA warns in a new report, as experienced supervisors, temporary works coordinators and plant operators are stretched thinner on complex sites. The charity links gaps in competence to poorer control of high‑risk activities such as lifting operations with mobile cranes, work at height on scaffolds and excavations near live services. RoSPA urges contractors and clients to prioritise formal competence assessment, targeted refresher training and tighter supervision ratios rather than relying on inexperienced agency labour to fill vacancies.

Passive dust control retrofits for belt conveyor transfer points are being promoted by Martin Engineering, focusing on sealing the chute enclosure and managing internal airflow so fine particles settle back onto the material stream instead of escaping. The approach relies on properly designed skirting, wear liners and curtain arrangements rather than powered extraction, aiming to reduce spillage, respirable dust and housekeeping demands around loading zones. For brownfield mines, the concept offers a low-energy alternative to baghouses and ducting, but depends heavily on tight sealing and accurate control of entry and exit air paths.

US gold could reach $6,000/oz as $39 trillion in federal debt, nearly $1 trillion in annual interest and continued central-bank buying (244 tonnes in Q1 plus 41 tonnes in May) extend a bull market that has already lifted prices about 68% since 2024, forecasts Maison Placements president John Ing. Ing expects materially wider margins and stronger M&A as projects once marginal become viable, favouring Agnico Eagle at about 3.4 Moz this year (AISC ~$1,400/oz) and Barrick at about 3.1 Moz (AISC ~$1,600/oz). He also backs Lundin Gold’s 475,000–525,000 oz output at roughly $1,100/oz AISC from Fruta del Norte, while rating Eldorado a sell on construction and ramp-up risk at Skouries and McIlvenna Bay.

Mesabi Metallics has begun iron ore mining in Minnesota using a new cable-electric Komatsu PC7000-11 hydraulic excavator, which on 23 July loaded a 400-short ton Komatsu 980E-5 haul truck, according to dealer Road Machinery & Supplies. The PC7000-11, typically a 650–700 t class machine with a 36–40 m³ bucket, is among the first cable-electric hydraulic excavators deployed at a US mine, where electric rope shovels have been more common. The move signals growing interest in high-capacity electric loading fleets for large open pits.

Campaigners have launched a petition against National Highways’ plan to infill a 125-year-old masonry railway bridge in Hertfordshire, attracting around 700 signatures in its first week and branding the works “vandalism”. The structure, part of the Historical Railways Estate, is reportedly earmarked for concrete or granular infill to remove the need for ongoing structural inspections and strengthening. Opponents argue that infilling will preclude future active travel or light rail reuse and want a repair-and-monitor regime instead of permanent burial of the arch barrel and abutments.

Japan’s month-long deep-sea trial near Minamitori Island recovered 50 tonnes of rare earth-bearing mud from ~6,000 m water depth, with medium and heavy rare earths making up about 54% of total rare earth content, including yttrium, gadolinium and dysprosium. The government-backed vessel Chikyu achieved the world’s first continuous recovery of such mud, with a commercial feasibility assessment due by March 2028. A follow-up trial in February 2027 aims for 350 tonnes/day, with dewatering on Minamitori and onshore separation, refining and smelting tests in Japan.

Yorkshire Water has set up an £80M multi-supplier framework for technical consultancy and design to support its AMP8 capital programme from 2025 to 2030, covering treatment works, trunk mains, sewers and resilience upgrades. The framework will be used to develop optioneering, outline and detailed designs for both above- and below-ground assets, including geotechnical assessments for new pipelines and structures, hydraulic modelling, and civil/MEICA integration. Consultants will be appointed on a call-off basis, giving early design input on schemes before construction procurement.

Coal beneath US federally managed lands is now estimated by the USGS at 4.2 billion short tons of reported reserves tied to active mines plus 356 billion short tons of additional resources, theoretically enough for at least 600 years at current burn rates. In 2024, 34 federal mines produced over 261 million short tons, with Wyoming’s 14 operations holding 87% of active federal reserves and the Powder River Basin’s North Antelope Rochelle mine ranked as the world’s largest by reported reserves. The assessment underpins over $1 billion in Trump administration support for extending coal plant lifetimes and expanding production, while also prompting calls for new geological mapping of Alaska’s 140+ billion short tons of identified coal resources.

EPC Mineex Sénégal, a subsidiary of EPC Groupe, has secured a €23 million, three-year explosives and blasting services contract with Boto SA for the Boto gold mine in Senegal. The deal includes deployment of two Mobile Explosives Manufacturing Units (MEMUs) on site and the integrated supply of bulk explosives and associated blasting services. For mine planners and geotechnical teams, on-site MEMUs should enable tighter control of powder factors, blast timing, and fragmentation to support consistent ore feed and wall stability management.

WSP has been appointed to all three lots of the Environment Agency’s National Groundwater Modelling Framework, covering strategic modelling, regional and catchment-scale studies, and site-specific assessments. The framework will support regulation of abstraction, flood risk and drought management by standardising numerical groundwater models used to assess aquifer behaviour, contaminant migration and interactions with rivers and infrastructure. Consultants working on EA-regulated projects should expect closer alignment to EA-approved modelling tools, datasets and calibration approaches over the framework term.

Bowmer + Kirkland has reached a key construction milestone at its Derbyshire headquarters, with chairman Jack Kirkland laying the final brick on one of the new office buildings in the multi-phase redevelopment. The scheme replaces legacy accommodation with modern office space designed to current UK building and energy standards, signalling a long-term commitment to the site as an operational hub. For contractors and consultants, the project suggests upcoming fit-out, services integration and external works packages as the campus build-out progresses.

Graham has completed a new bridge over the A10 in Cambridgeshire, providing a direct link between the Waterbeach New Town development and Cambridge city centre and removing a key severance point on the strategic route. The structure spans the dual carriageway to carry active travel and local traffic between the new settlement and existing urban area, reducing reliance on A10 junctions already operating near capacity. For designers and contractors, the scheme signals further A10 corridor upgrades tied to large-scale housing growth and associated junction, drainage and earthworks packages.

Structural timber’s role in accelerating UK housebuilding was pushed at a Palace of Westminster panel chaired by Matt Turmaine MP and Baroness Ritchie, with senior figures from the Structural Timber Association, Egger UK, Lowfield Timber Frames and Places for People addressing major housebuilders and social housing providers. STA CEO Andrew Orriss noted that seven of the UK’s top 15 housebuilders plan to manufacture in timber frame, aligning with DEFRA’s Timber in Construction Roadmap and Net Zero 2050 targets. Timber’s lower embodied carbon and carbon sequestration were positioned as key advantages over traditional materials.

GR Engineering Services has secured an EPC contract from BHP Iron Ore to deliver the Yandi Eastern Front-End Facility Upgrade, targeting the primary crushing circuit for the Ministers North project in Western Australia’s Pilbara. The scope covers engineering, procurement and construction of new front-end materials handling infrastructure tied into the existing Yandi joint venture operations. For mine planners and process engineers, the upgrade signals further brownfield optimisation of Yandi’s ore feed, with implications for crusher throughput, availability and integration with downstream screening and conveying.

Coates has expanded its engineered dewatering capability with a new fleet of electric BBA Pumps, including PT200 D265 (8″/200mm), PT150 D185 (6″/150mm) and PT100 D130 (4″/100mm) units for urban construction sites. The electric configuration targets groundwater control on projects from small residential excavations to complex basements, water assets and civil infrastructure in dense urban areas where diesel emissions, noise and access constraints are critical. For geotechnical and civil contractors, the range allows closer-to-face installation and longer runtimes on grid power, simplifying dewatering design and temporary works planning.

EcoVadis has awarded MKM Building Supplies a Gold medal, placing the independent merchant in the top 5% of 150,000 companies assessed worldwide for environmental, ethical, labour and human rights, and sustainable procurement performance. Key measures include opening its first two BREEAM Excellent certified branches in Cheltenham and Wolverhampton, rolling out electric forklift trucks across the network, and tightening supplier requirements via a strengthened Code of Conduct. For specifiers and contractors, MKM is also widening access to renewable heating technologies, energy‑efficient products and lower‑carbon construction solutions aligned with evolving UK building regulations.

MaxMine has launched Pulse, a fleet management system that combines business intelligence with AI-powered decision support to optimise productivity, cut haulage variability and lower cost per tonne in mixed-fleet open-pit operations. The platform ingests trusted operational data from disparate OEM fleets and sensors, then delivers real-time insights for dispatchers and supervisors to adjust payloads, cycle times and queue management on shift. For engineers, the key shift is from siloed FMS and telemetry feeds to a single decision layer aimed at tighter control of short-interval planning and execution.

Keon Homes has started construction on 32 new council homes in Wolverhampton’s Heath Town district, marking the second phase of the local authority’s housing programme. The scheme is supported by upgrades to the district heat network, signalling a move towards more centralised, low-carbon heat supply for the estate. For civil and building engineers, the key issues will be integrating new dwellings with existing estate infrastructure and coordinating utility corridors and plant space for the expanded heat network.

Woodalls has expanded its European delivery team, appointing former Unispace leaders Melisa Armocida as project director in France (Paris-based) and Marielena Sardi as project manager in Spain (Madrid-based) to oversee complex workplace, luxury retail and high-end commercial fit-out programmes. Armocida brings more than 15 years’ experience from Unispace, WeWork and JLL delivering multi-country corporate interiors across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, while Sardi adds eight years’ experience managing Southern Europe workplace projects for multinational clients. The move targets rising demand from US enterprise occupiers seeking consistent pan-European project execution with strong local market knowledge in France and Spain.

Henry Brothers has opened its sixth UK office in Edinburgh, giving the contractor a permanent east coast base to complement its existing Glasgow operation. The firm has been active in Scotland since 1997, recently delivering education projects at Frogston and Aberlady primary schools and defence works at HMNB Clyde, RNAD Coulport, RAF Lossiemouth and the Army Reserve Centre in Dunfermline. Regional director for Scotland Nick McKeown says the capital base will support further UK expansion as the company approaches its 50th anniversary.

Wates Group has appointed Kevin Grace as commercial director for Wates Construction London, following April’s confirmation of George Mosey as managing director, as part of a reset of its London construction business. Grace joins from Mace Construct, where he was commercial lead on the £1.1bn British Library extension, bringing UK and Australian major-projects experience in commercial management. He will take up the role in October, leading commercial strategy on large-scale, high-value public and private sector schemes across the capital.

Marlborough Highways has secured its first Medway Council contract, a £375,000 junction upgrade at the A2 High Street/Mierscourt Road intersection in Rainham, scheduled to start in mid-July during the school summer holidays. The works package covers carriageway planing and resurfacing, drainage and ducting, new kerbs, footway and paving upgrades, plus replacement street furniture, traffic signs and street lighting. Marlborough plans to staff core delivery teams with Kent-based operatives, source materials from local suppliers, and run post-project employability workshops and scheme briefings for a Kent school.

Coastal and maritime engineering in the Middle East is shifting from headline megaprojects such as artificial islands and deepwater container terminals towards managing large portfolios of existing breakwaters, quay walls and navigation channels. Engineers are focusing on asset life extension under aggressive saline and thermal conditions, using tools such as long-term bathymetric monitoring, probabilistic wave and overtopping analysis, and upgraded armour units or corrosion-resistant reinforcement. The region’s experience with extreme design sea levels and rapid land reclamation is feeding back into guidance on whole-life performance, inspection regimes and retrofit strategies for more mature coastal markets.

Immersion of the first of 89 tunnel elements for the Fehmarnbelt fixed link between Denmark and Germany was completed in May after a multi‑day marine operation, marking a key milestone for the 18km immersed tunnel. Project director Guy Taylor details how factory-style offsite production of standardised concrete elements and tightly sequenced immersion campaigns are being used to control programme and cost on what will be the world’s longest immersed road and rail tunnel.

New South Wales coal mining has cut direct emissions by 30 per cent since 2005 and net emissions by 35 per cent once the federal Safeguard Mechanism is included, making it the fastest‑reducing sector in the state. The industry is now on track to meet legislated 2030 emissions targets, driven by mine‑site efficiency gains, progressive rehabilitation and changes in operational energy use. For mine planners and environmental engineers, the data signal mounting pressure on lagging sectors and a likely tightening of baseline and offset settings beyond 2030.

A new 12.5 per cent US tariff on Australian exports is expected to have limited direct impact on core mining products, with iron ore, metallurgical coal and thermal coal still predominantly shipped to China, Japan and South Korea rather than North America. The Office of the United States Trade Representative has imposed 10–12.5 per cent duties on imports from 60 economies following a trade practices investigation, capturing some Australian value-added goods. Any material effect for miners is more likely in downstream processed metals and equipment supply chains than in bulk commodity volumes.

Footballers and netballers across Victoria will wear blue arm bands this weekend as part of the Transport Accident Commission’s Road Safety Round, promoting safer driving behaviour and commemorating road fatalities across the state. Campaign ambassador and Hawthorn AFL forward Nick “the Wizard” Watson launched the initiative with AFL Victoria and TAC representatives, targeting community clubs that are heavily reliant on regional and peri-urban road networks. For transport and civil planners, the campaign keeps political and funding attention on high-risk local roads rather than only major arterials.

Astral Resources has reported further high-grade gold intercepts from 56 reverse circulation drill holes totalling 4,970m at the Theia deposit within its Mandilla Gold Project in Western Australia. The new assays are being used to upgrade Stage 1 Mineral Resources to the Measured category, tightening confidence in near-surface grade continuity and geometry. Results will directly inform open-pit design, geotechnical domains and initial mine scheduling for the Mandilla development.

Strong reverse-circulation drilling results at Forrestania Resources’ British Hill project in Western Australia include 4m at 7.46g/t gold from 124m, with a 1m interval at 22.76g/t, and a separate 1m at 22.98g/t from 141m in hole 26BHRC013. The eight-hole RC programme targeted down-dip and along-strike extensions of previously defined mineralisation, confirming high-grade shoots at depths beyond 120m. These intercepts support potential resource growth and justify further step-out drilling and structural modelling of the lode geometry.

Sunrise Energy Metals is fast‑tracking studies to lift its Syerston Scandium Project in New South Wales to 180tpa scandium oxide by adding a new 120tpa production train to the existing 60tpa design. The expansion case is being advanced in response to customer interest in non‑Chinese supply and forecasts of stronger scandium demand for aluminium–scandium alloys and solid oxide fuel cells. For project engineers, the larger nameplate capacity will drive re‑assessment of hydrometallurgical circuit sizing, reagent logistics and offtake contract structures.

Volvo Construction Equipment’s new K Series wheel loaders are engineered to reduce variability in operator performance and fuel burn by tightly integrating machine controls with the operator interface. Features such as refined load-sensing hydraulics, updated transmission control and in-cab assist systems aim to deliver consistent cycle times and repeatable bucket fill factors across shifts. For mines pairing loaders with articulated haulers like the Volvo L150 and A30, the focus is on more predictable loading patterns, lower specific fuel consumption and tighter control of unit operating costs.

Dowdens Group is leveraging global partnerships to deploy technologies such as the MudWizard sludge treatment system across Queensland mine sites, targeting more efficient sludge handling and water recovery in dewatering circuits. The company integrates pumping, water treatment, industrial products and pneumatic equipment with on-site engineering and field services to customise solutions for specific pit, plant and tailings conditions. For operators, the approach aims to cut manual sludge handling, reduce water losses from sumps and clarifiers, and stabilise process water quality for both production and environmental compliance.

Sunrise Energy Metals is fast-tracking expansion studies at its 100%-owned Syerston scandium project in New South Wales, evaluating an additional 120 tpa Sc2O3 production train to lift nameplate capacity from 60 tpa to 180 tpa. The project’s feasibility study confirmed a US$120 million capital cost and life-of-mine site operating costs of US$534/kg Sc2O3 over a 32-year life, targeting first commercial production in 2028. Work will deliver a mine plan to 180 tpa, Class 5 capex estimate, revised plant configuration and site layouts, leveraging the ongoing FEED for the initial 60 tpa development.

Specialised Roading Equipment is rolling out redesigned bitumen sprayers with remote-controlled spray bars, enclosed operator platforms and automated calibration to cut exposure to hot binders and live traffic. The New Zealand-based manufacturer is also running on-site training on safe spraying windows, nozzle selection and pressure–temperature control to reduce overspray and fume risk on high-speed corridors. For road contractors, the shift towards automation and operator separation has direct implications for traffic management layouts, plant selection and compliance with evolving spray seal safety standards.

QME 2026 in Mackay drew thousands of mining professionals over three days, confirming its status as Australia’s largest regional mining event and focusing on digital transformation, automation and international capital flows. Conference sessions examined autonomous haulage and drilling systems, AI‑driven fleet optimisation and remote operations centres, alongside discussions on foreign investment frameworks for Queensland coal and critical minerals. For engineers and operators, the event signalled accelerating deployment of automation in brownfield pits and a sharper investor lens on decarbonisation, productivity metrics and project risk.

Freeport-McMoRan beat second-quarter profit forecasts with adjusted earnings of $0.74 per share and net income of $984 million, helped by a realised copper price of $6.17/lb versus $4.54/lb a year earlier despite an 18.2% drop in copper production to 786 million lb. Grasberg, hit by about 800,000 t of wet material flooding in September, is running at roughly 50% of capacity, targeted to reach 65% later this year and near full capacity by end-2027, with full restart now delayed to early 2028. Freeport reaffirmed 2026 guidance of 3.1 billion lb copper and 650,000 oz gold sales, with $4.3 billion capex planned, including $3 billion for major mining projects.