Metso has booked the third tranche of orders for JSC Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex’s copper smelter project in Uzbekistan, following equipment and project services contracts announced on 9 August 2024. The first two tranches, totalling €146 million, were booked in Q4 2024, with the latest booking covering additional core process equipment and associated services for the greenfield smelter complex. The staged order intake signals a multi-phase build-out where process design, commissioning support and long-lead items will be critical for throughput, energy performance and sulphur capture compliance.

Critical minerals and gold dominated mining in 2025 as China’s export controls on antimony and rare earths triggered smuggling crackdowns, a 7,500-tonne US cobalt tender was cancelled and reissued, and MP Materials halted rare earth exports from Mountain Pass to China. The Trump administration pursued supply-chain security via a proposed critical minerals tariff probe, a US–Ukraine rare earths deal, and a December US–Congo partnership covering cobalt. Record gold prices above $4,500/oz, a Goldman poll pointing to $5,000/oz by end-2026, and De Beers’ first new kimberlite field in 30 years rounded out a volatile year.

Sofi Filtration has opened a new Sofi Filtration Test Center in Izmir, Türkiye, to run commercial testing and piloting of its filtration technology with local mining customers. The facility, established with local partner Ecoline Group, is aimed at on-site evaluation of mine water and process streams under Turkish operating conditions. For engineers, this signals easier access to pilot-scale trials and performance data without shipping samples abroad, potentially shortening design cycles for dewatering and water-reuse projects in the region.