Construction has commenced on Fortescue’s 690 MW Turner River solar farm in the Pilbara and a 650 MWh BYD-based BESS at Cloudbreak, the final major assets in its Real Zero decarbonisation plan for iron ore operations. The utility-scale PV and storage will feed Fortescue’s integrated Pilbara Energy Connect network, designed to displace large diesel and gas loads across multiple mines. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the build-out signals rapid scaling of high-penetration renewables and grid-forming storage in remote, weak-grid conditions.

Forrestania Resources has agreed to acquire 100 per cent of Midas Minerals’ Newington gold project in Western Australia, securing a package of granted mining and exploration tenements in a historically high-yield gold district. The transaction consolidates Forrestania’s Western Australian gold footprint around Newington, giving it full control over both existing mining leases and surrounding exploration ground. For geologists and mine planners, the deal creates a larger, contiguous tenure position that can support district-scale resource definition and staged development drilling.

Black Cat Syndicate will spend $11 million on a 35,000m drilling campaign at its Coyote gold operation in Western Australia’s Tanami region, starting in June 2026 and more than tripling the scale of any program since acquisition. The large-scale program signals a step-up in resource definition and extension drilling around existing underground workings, with implications for mine planning, geotechnical characterisation and long-term production scheduling. For contractors and consultants, the 2026 field season will bring demand for additional rigs, drilling crews, core logging, and structural and hydrogeological analysis.