Oklahoma is positioning itself as a critical minerals processing hub rather than a mining state, anchored by Emirates Global Aluminium’s proposed US$4 billion primary aluminium smelter at the Port of Inola on the McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River system and backed by surplus low‑cost power from wind and natural gas. USA Rare Earth is building a vertically integrated rare earth magnet plant in Stillwater with about US$1.6 billion in public and private funding, while Stardust Power (NASDAQ: SDST) is advancing a lithium refinery in Muskogee with Sumitomo offtake and key permits secured. The cluster targets defence and aerospace demand around Tinker Air Force Base and other installations, aiming to plug the “missing middle” between raw mineral supply and finished components.

Thiess, together with MACA and RTL Mining and Earthworks, has visited Norton Gold Fields’ Mulgarrie operation near Kalgoorlie, where an autonomous haulage system (AHS) trial using EACON Mining Technology’s retrofitted trucks is under way. The trial, run with Norton Gold Fields (owned by Zijin Mining Group), is testing retrofit autonomy on an existing truck fleet rather than deploying factory-built autonomous units. For mine operators, successful validation would support lower‑capex conversion of conventional haul trucks to AHS across similar Australian gold and bulk operations.

Luca Mining has intersected high-grade mineralisation below existing workings at its Tahuehueto underground mine in Durango, with DDH26-SU-01 cutting 7.6 m at 14.27 g/t gold, 46.64 g/t silver, 0.33% Cu, 2.57% Pb and 1.19% Zn from 80.9 m, and DDH26-SU-03 returning 13.2 m at 6.66 g/t gold from 42.7 m. The new zones lie about 30 m below Level 23, which already hosts underground infrastructure, and grades are several times the current ~4 g/t AuEq head grade from the 1,000 t/d mill commissioned in 2025. Luca has increased the 2026 exploration budget at Tahuehueto by 40% to $3.5 million, with 47 drill holes totalling roughly 10,400 m completed so far across the Creston and Santiago vein targets, where brecciated quartz–sulphide veins remain open down plunge.