Artemis Gold has lifted the cost of its first Blackwater mill expansion in central British Columbia to C$120 million, about 20% above the original C$100–C$110 million budget, to add spares and raise nameplate capacity by one‑third to 8 million tonnes per year. The revised spend equates to roughly C$60 per tonne of added annual capacity, with civil works for a new vertical mill complete, structural steel advancing, pre‑aeration tank erected and oxygen equipment foundations poured as mechanical tie‑ins to the live plant now dictate schedule. A much larger C$1.44‑billion second expansion would add a separate 13‑million‑tonne‑per‑year plant, targeting total 21‑million‑tonne capacity and more than 500,000 oz. of gold annually from 2029, positioning Blackwater among Canada’s largest gold operations.

Stormlands Mining’s decision-intelligence case study on Lode Gold Resources’ Fremont project in Mariposa County, California, doubles the modelled NPV to US$511.5 million by applying a gold price of US$4,245.22/oz to the project’s 2026 technical report. The revised scenario lifts projected life-of-mine revenue from US$3.45 billion to US$4.17 billion, increases IRR from 11.16% to 16.66%, and shortens payback from 8.5 years to 5 years 11 months at a 5% discount rate. Fremont, a 13.56 km² property with historical grades of 10.7 g/t Au, is being drilled ahead of a 2027 pre-feasibility study.

War-fractured Myanmar has become the world’s largest supplier of heavy rare earths, with Chinese companies running largely unregulated in-situ leaching operations in autonomous border regions such as Kachin and eastern Shan, guarded by ethnic armies including the United Wa State Army. Workers like “Min” are paid about 3,000 yuan (£330) per month for roadbuilding and pit work on steep slopes, amid frequent fatal landslides and exposure to toxic lixiviants that have poisoned rivers and farmland. Ore is trucked into China, mixed with other feedstocks and effectively laundered into global supply chains for EVs, wind turbines and advanced weapons, while revenues fund more than 1,200 armed groups in an already fragmented civil war.