Cementation Africa is pushing for underground mine dewatering to be designed from the earliest study phases, with hydrogeological investigations embedded in scoping and pre-feasibility work rather than added after shaft sinking. Study Manager Mine Engineering John Goulding stresses that early characterisation of aquifers, inflow rates and pore pressures allows proper sizing and siting of pump stations, sumps and grout curtains, and integration with shaft and decline layouts. For geotechnical and mine planners, this approach reduces unplanned inflows, avoids costly retrofits and supports more reliable ground support and excavation sequencing.

JordProxa has been selected as technology and equipment partner for Lilac Solutions’ Phase 1 commercial lithium carbonate plant on Utah’s Great Salt Lake, which targets 5,000 t/y of battery-grade lithium carbonate using direct lithium extraction. The partnership covers the downstream conversion process, integrating JordProxa’s thermal and process equipment with Lilac’s ion-exchange DLE system. First lithium production is planned for 2028, signalling a move from pilot-scale brine processing to a full commercial facility in a chemically complex salt-lake environment.

Orica Digital Solutions has opened an Axis Mining Technology Technical Support & Service Centre in North Bay, Ontario, extending on-the-ground backing for its orebody intelligence systems to Canadian and wider North American mines. The facility will support deployment and maintenance of Axis downhole navigation and drillhole survey tools, improving turnaround for calibration, repairs and firmware updates that previously relied on distant service hubs. For geologists and drill and blast teams, closer support should reduce downtime on production and definition drilling and enable more consistent high-precision orebody data.