Meta has signed nuclear power deals with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo for up to 6.6 GW of capacity by 2035 to run its US data centres and the Prometheus AI supercluster in Ohio, adding to a 20‑year, 1.12 GW offtake from Constellation’s Clinton plant. In parallel, the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust has bought 300,000 lb of U₃O₈ in a week, lifting holdings to about 75.2 million lb worth US$6.17 billion, as spot prices hover around US$82/lb. For miners and project developers, this combination of long‑term nuclear PPAs and aggressive physical uranium accumulation signals firmer demand visibility despite persistent SMR cost and schedule risk.

Ausenco is mobilising a 50-strong multidisciplinary team in January to implement the Jervois nickel and cobalt refinery project in São Paulo, focusing on civil engineering consulting, electromechanical assembly, and project controls. Specialists in health and safety, quality, and project management will support both site works and office-based design and coordination. For engineers, the move signals upcoming demand for detailed brownfield integration, constructability reviews, and upgraded process infrastructure at an existing hydrometallurgical facility.

A $3.6 million Arbor-funded University of Arizona Tailings Center project, led by mining engineer Dr Isabel Barton, is evaluating whether 17.5 billion tons of historic copper tailings in Arizona—growing by ~100 million tonnes per year—can be reprocessed to recover critical minerals and reduce environmental risk. The team is combining statewide and UAV-based remote sensing, industry tailings datasets, drilling and surface sampling, mineralogical characterisation and techno-economic analysis using magnetic separation and basic leaching. Early work has identified unexpected mineral occurrences, including arsenic, zinc and possibly tungsten, which could justify flowsheet changes to keep these elements out of future tailings.