Peru has reauthorised the mining permit for Southern Copper’s $1.8 billion Tía María project, clearing La Tapada open-pit’s first-stage operations after Minem confirmed compliance on environmental certification, ownership, and safety and health obligations, including previously incomplete waste dump design and project scheduling. The project, in Arequipa, is slated to produce 120,000 tonnes of copper per year for 20 years, with start-up targeted between late 2026 and early 2027, adding to Southern Copper’s Toquepala, Cuajone and Ilo operations. The decision lands amid a chaotic presidential run-off and roughly $7 billion of stalled copper projects linked to illegal mining.

Assarel-Medet has taken delivery of a 300 t class Liebherr R 9350 E electric excavator for its Assarel copper mine at Bul in Bulgaria’s Pazardzhik province, the fifth large electric Liebherr excavator supplied to the company by Liebherr-Export and local partner Alki-L. The R 9350 E, powered by an electric drive rather than diesel, delivers zero on-site greenhouse gas emissions at the face, supporting lower ventilation demand and reduced fuel logistics for the open-pit operation.

Australia’s CSIRO is positioning local mining technology and automation expertise as core to future lunar missions, drawing on decades of remote operations, autonomous haulage and real-time ore sensing in harsh, isolated mine sites. The agency points to mine-grade robotics, tele-remote control rooms in Perth managing equipment thousands of kilometres away, and advanced geoscience data processing as directly applicable to lunar regolith excavation and in-situ resource utilisation. For engineers, the move signals growing crossover between mine automation platforms and off-world excavation, materials handling and dust management systems.