Arizona Metals’ Kay polymetallic project in Arizona has delivered a rare negative-value PEA, with a post-tax NPV5 of -$6 million, IRR of 4.9% and upfront capital of $731 million for a 1,918 t/d underground operation, triggering a 46% share price drop to C$0.29. Even a spot-price case at $6.05/lb copper and $4,745/oz gold only lifts the post-tax NPV to $445 million with a modest 14.9% IRR, constrained by limited initial tonnage. The PEA uses just 71% of the 9.28 Mt indicated resource, with no inferred material, so future economics hinge on adding tonnes, higher mining rates and alternative processing routes.

Gold refined by the Royal Canadian Mint may include material from Colombian mines linked to the Clan del Golfo cartel, after an unidentified Texas supplier mixed Antioquia-sourced gold with US metal that the Mint then classified as “North American”, a New York Times investigation found. About 5% of the Mint’s 2024 feedstock came from this US supplier, which held a valid audit naming Colombia as a source, while the Mint relied on supplier due diligence and said “it’s not our responsibility” to probe further. The Mint has now halted Colombian gold intake, launched an “incident review”, and plans to start disclosing source countries despite already deploying Bullion Genesis traceability software and LBMA-aligned KYC and AML controls.

Applied Intuition is partnering with Heidelberg Materials to deploy its Self-Driving System (SDS) for Construction on autonomous haul trucks at the Clarence Sands quarry in New South Wales, Australia. The collaboration targets full quarry fleet autonomy, integrating perception, planning, and control software with existing haulage equipment and site traffic management. For geotechnical and operations teams, this signals growing demand for highly repeatable haul road geometry, consistent berm and ditch maintenance, and robust geofencing to support safe driverless operation in active extraction faces.