Kamoa-Kakula, Africa’s largest copper mine, has been running on solar baseload since 12 August, with the new plant displacing about 4 million litres of diesel in its first month, equivalent to roughly US$11 million in fuel savings. DHYBRID Power Systems GmbH engineered the battery energy storage system (BESS) and supplies its Universal control platform to stabilise the hybrid power system and manage dispatch. For mine operators, the project shows large-scale solar plus BESS can reliably offset high-cost diesel generation in remote, grid-constrained operations.

Volvo Construction Equipment has appointed Laothani Tractor as its new national distributor in Laos, launching the partnership with a dealer inauguration and customer roadshow. The events showcased Volvo CE’s latest generation excavators and compaction machines, targeting mining, construction and infrastructure fleets that typically operate in remote, high-rainfall terrain. The move signals expanded in-country support for heavy equipment selection, maintenance and parts availability, which is critical for uptime on Lao mine haul roads and earthworks projects.

SGS has signed a definitive agreement with Carbonix Inc to pilot the company’s P180 direct reduction technology at the SGS Metallurgical Centre of Excellence in Lakefield, Ontario. The SGS‑Carbonix pilot plant, agreed in June 2026, will run extended operating campaigns to assess P180’s performance under continuous metallurgical conditions rather than short bench tests. Results will interest miners and steelmakers evaluating alternative direct reduction routes for ironmaking and other value chains seeking lower‑carbon, high‑efficiency reduction processes.