Thirteen Chilean copper projects worth $14.8 billion are targeting key 2026 milestones, with seven operations including Collahuasi’s C20+ life-extension, Codelco’s Rajo Inca and Capstone’s Mantos Blancos expected to add almost 500,000 tonnes/year of new capacity. A further six projects, such as BHP’s Spence and Capstone’s Santo Domingo, plan to start construction within a $7.7 billion pipeline that Cochilco says could lift national output to about 5.6 Mt, against a forecast 2026 deficit of 150,000–330,000 tonnes. José Antonio Kast’s incoming government is expected to streamline permitting and environmental approvals, but unresolved community opposition and potential legal challenges remain the main execution risk.

Larvotto Resources has begun underground development at its Hillgrove antimony–gold project in New South Wales, re‑opening historical workings to access high‑grade antimony and refractory gold mineralisation. The restart involves rehabilitating existing declines and levels, upgrading ground support, and re‑establishing services to support modern mechanised mining fleets. For geotechnical and mining teams, early focus will be on re‑assessing legacy excavation stability, water inflows and ventilation capacity to safely transition Hillgrove back into sustained underground production.

Liontown Resources has completed three years of open pit mining at its Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia and is now transitioning fully to underground operations. The mine is shifting to long-term underground production targeting high-grade spodumene beneath the existing pits, supported by the Dragonfly accommodation village constructed to house the expanded workforce. The move concentrates activity on deeper ore zones, with implications for ground control, ventilation design and paste backfill planning in a hard-rock lithium setting.