Vulcan Energy has secured a key German regulatory milestone for its Lionheart lithium project, clearing a major hurdle towards bringing geothermal brine–sourced lithium chemicals into commercial production in the Upper Rhine Valley. The project targets direct lithium extraction from deep geothermal reservoirs, integrating baseload renewable power and heat with lithium hydroxide output for European battery supply chains. For geotechnical and civil teams, the approval signals advancing timelines for drilling, wellfield development and surface plant construction in a densely populated, infrastructure-rich setting with strict environmental constraints.

Curtin University and Victory Metals have formed an “industry–academia powerhouse” partnership to accelerate development of Victory’s rare earths project in Western Australia, combining Curtin’s Western Australian School of Mines expertise with the company’s exploration and processing plans. The collaboration will focus on metallurgical testwork, process flowsheet optimisation and resource characterisation to improve recovery of rare earth elements from the project’s ore. For mining engineers and metallurgists, the tie-up signals early integration of research-grade mineral processing and geometallurgy into project design rather than post-feasibility optimisation.

Ark Mines has secured a Queensland mining lease for its Sandy Mitchell rare earths project, marking a key move from exploration to planned production. The licence positions the company to advance mine planning and approvals for heavy and light rare earth extraction in northern Queensland, a region already targeted for critical minerals development. Geotechnical and mine design teams can now progress detailed pit designs, waste storage layouts and haul road alignments under a defined tenure framework.