Boliden’s Somincor zinc and copper operations in Portugal are about to trial their first battery-electric production support unit, a Normet Variomec XS 035 Crew SD mine service vehicle delivered this week after being showcased at The Electric Mine in Lisbon. The compact XS 035 platform is configured for crew transport and general services, targeting reduced diesel emissions and heat in deep workings. Results from this trial will inform Somincor’s wider electrification strategy for auxiliary fleets and associated ventilation load reductions.

Core Lithium has awarded a three-year underground mining contract, with a two-year extension option, to Dev Mining Services (a Develop Global subsidiary) for the BP33 deposit that underpins the Finniss lithium operation in Australia’s Northern Territory. The scope covers all underground production activities at BP33, shifting Finniss from open-pit to a combined open-pit/underground operation and locking in a medium-term mining services provider. For engineers and contractors, the deal signals forward work on underground development, ground support and lithium ore handling in a relatively young NT hard-rock lithium district.

Tungsten Mining has begun on-site preparation at its wholly owned Mt Mulgine tungsten project in Western Australia, signalling a move towards development of what it aims to position among the world’s largest tungsten operations. The project targets the state’s Mid West region, where existing iron ore and gold infrastructure could support large-scale open-pit mining, high-volume crushing and gravity-flotation circuits typical of hard-rock tungsten deposits. For geotechnical and mining teams, early works will focus on pit design in abrasive, high-density ore and waste, haul road geometry, and water management in a semi-arid environment.