Meta has signed nuclear power deals with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo for up to 6.6 GW of capacity by 2035 to run its US data centres and the Prometheus AI supercluster in Ohio, adding to a 20‑year, 1.12 GW offtake from Constellation’s Clinton plant. In parallel, the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust has bought 300,000 lb of U₃O₈ in a week, lifting holdings to about 75.2 million lb worth US$6.17 billion, as spot prices hover around US$82/lb. For miners and project developers, this combination of long‑term nuclear PPAs and aggressive physical uranium accumulation signals firmer demand visibility despite persistent SMR cost and schedule risk.

Derrick Corporation has opened its Derrick Experience Center (DEX Center) in January 2026 to mark its 75th anniversary, creating a dedicated test hub for advanced fine screening technology. The “first-of-its-kind” facility is designed for current and prospective customers to run full-scale trials on Derrick high-frequency screens and Polyweb® urethane panels under controlled conditions, rather than relying solely on on-site pilots. The centre is intended to shorten test campaigns, de-risk screen selection, and optimise cut size and throughput for fine coal, iron ore, base metals and industrial minerals circuits.

A $3.6 million Arbor-funded University of Arizona Tailings Center project, led by mining engineer Dr Isabel Barton, is evaluating whether 17.5 billion tons of historic copper tailings in Arizona—growing by ~100 million tonnes per year—can be reprocessed to recover critical minerals and reduce environmental risk. The team is combining statewide and UAV-based remote sensing, industry tailings datasets, drilling and surface sampling, mineralogical characterisation and techno-economic analysis using magnetic separation and basic leaching. Early work has identified unexpected mineral occurrences, including arsenic, zinc and possibly tungsten, which could justify flowsheet changes to keep these elements out of future tailings.