3M is promoting its PELTOR Protective Communication Solutions for hazardous mining environments, combining certified hearing protection with integrated two-way communication headsets. The systems are designed to maintain clear, reliable voice transmission in high-noise areas such as underground headings and processing plants, using noise-cancelling microphones and level-dependent attenuation. For mine operators, the key draw is enabling real-time coordination and emergency instructions without workers removing hearing protection, directly targeting common compliance and communication gaps in drilling, blasting and mobile plant operations.

Fortitude Gold has begun mining at its County Line project in Nevada, trucking initial mineralisation from the base of the historic County Line Pit to the existing Isabella Pearl heap leach and ADR plant, with a major pit layback scheduled for H2 2026–H2 2027 and an updated resource to incorporate East Pit drilling. Exploration targets at Newman Ridge, the Rex mine and areas north and south of the current pits are being evaluated to extend mine life. All permits are now in place for the Scarlet South open pit, 500 m northwest of Isabella Pearl, with ore from Isabella Pearl deep, County Line and Scarlet South planned to feed the central processing facility from 2026.

Iltani Resources’ Orient project in North Queensland, billed as one of Australia’s largest silver–indium developments, has reported standout 2025 drilling results that support a potential resource expansion. The polymetallic system targets silver, indium, zinc and lead, with recent intercepts extending known mineralisation along strike and at depth beyond the current drilling grid. Iltani is now planning follow-up step-out drilling and updated resource modelling, which could materially influence mine design, metallurgical testwork priorities and long-term development options for the Orient tenements.