Construction has commenced on Fortescue’s 690 MW Turner River solar farm in the Pilbara and a 650 MWh BYD-based BESS at Cloudbreak, the final major assets in its Real Zero decarbonisation plan for iron ore operations. The utility-scale PV and storage will feed Fortescue’s integrated Pilbara Energy Connect network, designed to displace large diesel and gas loads across multiple mines. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the build-out signals rapid scaling of high-penetration renewables and grid-forming storage in remote, weak-grid conditions.

Meiteng Technology’s full-size intelligent coal dry separation plant in Mongolia has run stably since October 2025, using its proprietary DCP Full-Size Coal Dry Separation Dream Plant system under harsh continental climate conditions. The installation applies fully dry, sensor-based coal separation without process water, reducing reliance on traditional dense medium circuits and associated tailings dams. For mine operators in arid or freezing regions, the project signals growing viability of large-scale dry beneficiation where water supply, freezing pipelines and slurry management constrain conventional plants.

Black Cat Syndicate will spend $11 million on a 35,000m drilling campaign at its Coyote gold operation in Western Australia’s Tanami region, starting in June 2026 and more than tripling the scale of any program since acquisition. The large-scale program signals a step-up in resource definition and extension drilling around existing underground workings, with implications for mine planning, geotechnical characterisation and long-term production scheduling. For contractors and consultants, the 2026 field season will bring demand for additional rigs, drilling crews, core logging, and structural and hydrogeological analysis.