Warrior Met Coal has completed its $1 billion Blue Creek longwall mine in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, targeting premium high-vol A metallurgical coal for global steel producers. The underground operation, developed as a standalone longwall complex, is designed around modern high-capacity longwall systems and associated ventilation, materials handling and coal preparation infrastructure. State and local officials, federal delegation staff and US Bureau of Land Management leadership attended the opening, signalling long-term regulatory and political backing for the project’s production and employment footprint.

Metso has secured a ~€180 million ($210 million) contract to supply engineering and key process equipment for a new primary copper smelter complex in Asia designed to produce 300,000 t/y of copper cathodes and 1.1 Mt/y of sulphuric acid. The scope covers core smelting and off-gas handling technology, positioning the plant for high-acid capture rates critical for SO₂ emissions control. For project teams, the scale implies substantial concentrate throughput and significant integration requirements with downstream acid and cathode handling infrastructure.

3M is promoting its PELTOR Protective Communication Solutions for hazardous mining environments, combining certified hearing protection with integrated two-way communication headsets. The systems are designed to maintain clear, reliable voice transmission in high-noise areas such as underground headings and processing plants, using noise-cancelling microphones and level-dependent attenuation. For mine operators, the key draw is enabling real-time coordination and emergency instructions without workers removing hearing protection, directly targeting common compliance and communication gaps in drilling, blasting and mobile plant operations.