MacLean Engineering has delivered its first Volvo Penta-powered underground mining machine to a Quebec operation, using an industrial off-road diesel from Volvo Penta supplied through Canadian distributor Wajax. The deal follows the formalisation of the Volvo Penta–Wajax distribution partnership in Canada, targeting MacLean’s fleet of battery-electric and diesel support units such as bolters, shotcrete sprayers and utility vehicles. For mine operators, the move standardises powertrains around a globally supported engine platform, simplifying parts, service logistics and emissions compliance across mixed fleets.

Epiroc is analysing how electric surface drill rigs interact with weak and remote mine grids, focusing on load profiles, start-up currents and grid contingencies that can destabilise existing 11–33 kV distribution systems. The company is testing smart power management strategies such as ramped starts, active power factor correction and local energy storage to smooth high transient loads from large electric drills. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the work points to earlier integration of grid studies with fleet selection and potential use of hybrid on-site generation to avoid costly grid reinforcements.

Austmine and AusIMM, with Expande (Chile), Peru Mining Innovation Hub, CEMI (Canada) and Colab Partner Baker Hughes, have launched the Global Open Innovation Colab challenge “Critical Disruptors: From Discovery to Recovery” to run at the Global Resources Innovation Exchange 2026 (GRX26). The challenge targets technologies that compress exploration-to-extraction timelines, including concepts for faster orebody characterisation, integrated drilling-to-processing data streams and step-change recovery methods. For miners and METS suppliers, it offers a structured route to pilot novel sensing, automation and processing solutions with multi-jurisdictional partners.