Tharisa Minerals has fired the inaugural underground blast at its Bushveld Complex chrome and PGM operation, initiating the transition from open pit to underground mining scheduled from 31 March 2026. Cementation Africa, the contracting partner, will be central to developing the new underground infrastructure, including access declines and associated services, to extend mine life and access deeper ore. The shift will alter geotechnical design demands, ventilation and ground support requirements, and could change the mine’s stripping ratio and cost profile over the medium term.

GR Engineering has secured an EPC contract from Northparkes Mining Services, a subsidiary of Evolution Mining, to deliver a Coarse Particle Flotation (CPF) project at the Northparkes copper-gold operation, 300 km west of Sydney, New South Wales. The project will retrofit CPF into the existing concentrator, targeting recovery of coarser sulphide particles that currently bypass conventional flotation circuits. For process engineers, the key change is integration of new CPF cells and associated regrind, pumping and classification modifications into a brownfield plant while maintaining throughput.

Wildcat Resources has extended the Bolt Cutter Central lithium system in the Pilbara, with new reverse circulation and diamond drilling stepping out from the discovery holes to grow the mineralised footprint. Recent holes have intersected additional spodumene-bearing pegmatites at shallow depths, confirming continuity of the lithium-bearing corridor along strike and down dip. The results point to a larger-scale hard-rock lithium target, with implications for future resource definition drilling, pit shell optimisation and potential integration with regional Pilbara lithium infrastructure.