Pebble recirculation, which can account for up to 30% of mill feed and significantly raise energy use, is being re‑examined by SRK Consulting and TOMRA Mining through sensor‑based ore sorting of the pebble stream. By treating pebbles as a heterogeneous feed and diverting barren or low-value fragments via TOMRA’s sorting units, operations can cut unnecessary regrinding and reduce circulating loads. The approach targets higher throughput and lower specific energy consumption in SAG and AG circuits without major changes to existing comminution layouts.

Buenaventura is weighing a 16‑year life extension for its San Gabriel underground gold mine in Peru’s Moquegua region, where current reserves exceed 1.8 million ounces and total measured, indicated and inferred resources top 2.4 million ounces. The operation, which poured its first gold bar in December 2025, is ramping from 2,000 tonnes per day by end‑2026 to a nominal 3,000 tpd in 2027, targeting more than 100,000 ounces of annual output. Around 90% of the rock mass is classed as low‑quality geomechanically, prompting adoption of a novel underground mining method in South America to improve selectivity and reduce dilution.

Canadian mining technology company ELEMISSION has won the Global Open Innovation Colab challenge at GRX26 in Perth after a live pitch to investors, innovators and senior mining executives. The competition, delivered by Austmine and AusIMM with partners including Expande (Chile) and the Peru Mining Innovation Hub, sought deployable solutions for real mine-site challenges across multiple jurisdictions. ELEMISSION’s win signals growing interest from major operators and METS partners in advanced sensing and automation technologies that can be integrated into existing mining circuits.