Kaishan is expanding its intelligent mining drill rig line-up in China, adding automation and digital control to both surface and underground blasthole drilling systems. New rigs integrate features such as remote operation, data logging and optimised drilling parameter control, positioning them alongside Chinese advances in autonomous haul trucks and battery-electric or hybrid powertrains. For mine operators, the move signals growing domestic options for integrated autonomous fleets, with drill–blast data increasingly available for real-time optimisation of fragmentation, cycle times and energy use.

Newmont has commissioned a Cat 6040 next generation hydraulic mining shovel at its Ahafo South gold mine in Ghana, its first deployment of the 400 t-class unit and one of only three mine sites globally using this model. The 6040, designed for large-scale hard rock operations, pairs with ultra-class haul trucks and incorporates Caterpillar’s latest cab ergonomics, hydraulics and machine health monitoring. For Ahafo South, the shovel is expected to lift loading productivity and reduce exposure around highwall and pit-floor digging zones.

Glencore Technology will install its Albion Process oxidative leaching circuit at Rox Resources’ Youanmi gold project in Western Australia to treat refractory and semi-refractory ores that are not amenable to conventional cyanidation. The fine-grinding plus oxygenated leach system is designed to oxidise sulphide-hosted gold at atmospheric pressure, offering a lower-capex alternative to pressure oxidation or roasting for “next generation” deposits. For process and geomet teams, this signals growing commercial acceptance of Albion flowsheets for challenging gold mineralogies in Australian hard-rock operations.