Hexagon’s Mining division is expanding its 2021 “Power of One” life-of-mine platform into an “Ore to Value” vision that links fleet management, drill and blast, mine planning and plant control through a single data environment. The approach centres on material flow intelligence, using connected sensors, infield apps and cloud-based analytics to track ore parcels from block model to mill and final product in near real time. For engineers, this promises tighter reconciliation, more accurate ore routing and faster feedback loops between geology, operations and processing.

Arafura Rare Earths has moved its Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory closer to construction by firming up project funding while keeping a “deliberate and considered” pace on additional offtake deals. The NdPr-focused project, located about 135km north of Alice Springs, already has cornerstone offtake agreements with automotive OEMs including Hyundai and Kia for magnet rare earths. The funding progress reduces execution risk for mine, concentrator and hydromet plant development, but Arafura is signalling it will not trade pricing or contract flexibility for rapid offtake volume.

Victory Metals has reported a metallurgical breakthrough at its North Stanmore project in Western Australia, achieving a globally significant heavy rare earth element (HREE) result from clay-hosted mineralisation. Testwork indicates the ore can support dual revenue streams, with both HREEs and additional payable products recoverable from the same feed, improving project economics compared with single-commodity ionic clay deposits. The development positions North Stanmore for flowsheet design focused on selective leaching and impurity control, critical for scaling commercial rare earth production in WA’s Mid West.