Sunshine Silver Mining & Refining has expanded its consolidated mineral rights in Idaho’s Silver Valley by about 14,100 acres, a 60% increase to roughly 38,000 acres, making it the largest mineral rights holder in the district. The company is launching a multi-year, 45,000-metre surface drilling campaign starting Q4, initially targeting East Sunshine (along strike from the Sunshine mine), Rock Creek and Pine Creek. Much of the enlarged land package has seen limited modern exploration, signalling significant upside for additional deposits beyond the existing Sunshine mine.

Water licence renewal and a land use permit for Fortune Minerals’ NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper project in the Northwest Territories have been approved, setting binding conditions for mine construction, operation, and closure security. The development combines an open pit and underground mine plus concentrator linked by an approved access road to the territorial highway, with concentrates shipped to a dedicated hydrometallurgical plant in Alberta. NICO hosts about 12% of known global bismuth reserves and 1.1 million in-situ ounces of gold, targeting domestic output of cobalt sulphate, bismuth ingots and copper cement.

Continental has opened an In-Company Store inside Vale’s S11D iron ore complex at Canaã dos Carajás, Pará, to supply conveyor belting and related technology directly on site. The facility is intended to shorten response times for high-wear components on S11D’s extensive overland conveyor network, reducing downtime risk on one of the world’s largest truckless mining operations. Embedded support staff will handle belt selection, splicing materials, and condition-based service, tightening integration between Continental’s maintenance expertise and Vale’s production teams.