Hercules Metals has hired former Arizona Sonoran Copper CEO George Ogilvie and six ex-colleagues who led the Cactus project to a US$1.4 billion sale to Hudbay, tasking them with advancing the Leviathan porphyry copper discovery in Idaho. Leviathan’s system has been drilled over more than 1 km strike, up to 750 m width and 500 m vertical extent, with discovery hole HER-23-05 returning 185 m at 0.84% Cu including 45 m at 1.94% Cu, beneath an epithermal silver system. Barrick-backed Hercules controls 404.7 sq. km along a 73-km copper belt with surface mining rights, road access and three 260 kV transmission lines crossing the property, but no resource or economic study yet, giving the new team a blank technical slate.

Equinox Gold will install Orla Mining’s Jason Simpson as CEO on 1 November, accelerating a leadership change just days after closing their C$25.4 billion all-share merger to form a six-mine producer targeting 1.1 million oz. of gold per year. The enlarged portfolio includes Greenstone, Valentine and Musselwhite in Canada, forecast to deliver 685,000 oz. annually, with further growth tied to South Railroad, Castle Mountain, Los Filos and an underground build at Camino Rojo. Simpson must quickly prioritise capex and integration as Greenstone and Valentine ramp up and Equinox prepares consolidated guidance.

Namibia’s expanding uranium, gold and copper sector is drawing new investment, and AECI Mining argues that project success will hinge on how efficiently operations manage scarce water and other natural resources. The company promotes integrated blasting, reagent and water-treatment packages tailored to arid conditions, linking emulsion explosives, process chemicals and closed-loop water circuits to cut freshwater intake and improve plant stability. For mine planners and process engineers, the message is to embed water stewardship into early pit design, tailings strategies and plant selection rather than bolt-on compliance later.