Meeka Metals has reached its nameplate 600,000 tonnes per annum processing rate at the Andy Well gold operation in Western Australia, with the plant running at an annualised ~600ktpa through July and August and recording higher peak throughput over the period. An ore sorter is scheduled for commissioning in October, targeting higher feed grades and reduced mill load by rejecting low-grade material ahead of the existing circuit. For plant and mine planners, stable operation at nameplate before adding pre-concentration reduces ramp-up risk and supports more predictable metallurgical performance.

Maritana Minerals has completed over 17,000m of reverse-circulation drilling in 119 holes at the Boorara gold project near Kalgoorlie, progressing it as the first planned ore source for the Black Swan processing hub ahead of a targeted mid-2027 restart. The campaign focuses on resource conversion and was run in parallel with grade-control drilling to tighten pre-production mine planning. For geotechnical and mine design teams, the dense drilling grid should materially refine orebody geometry, grade continuity and pit optimisation for the initial restart phase.

Western Australia will invest more than $900,000 in five 2027 Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) PhD scholarships targeting safer, more efficient and lower-emission mining across the state. The funded projects will focus on critical operational challenges in WA’s resources sector, including improved mine safety systems and productivity in high-tonnage operations. For engineers, the programme signals future research capacity in areas such as low‑carbon extraction methods, advanced geotechnical characterisation and process optimisation tailored to WA orebodies.