Boliden’s Somincor operation at Neves-Corvo in Portugal’s Alentejo province, about two hours’ drive from Lisbon, is emerging as a leading European testbed for underground equipment automation. The polymetallic mine, acquired by Boliden in 2024, is advancing remote and autonomous operation of load–haul–dump fleets and drilling rigs in deep orebodies typical of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. For engineers, the site signals growing scope for high-automation underground layouts, communications infrastructure upgrades and workforce reskilling in what has traditionally been a conventional mining district.

OceanaGold is weighing the next phase of mine fleet electrification at Macraes and the Waihi North project after technical studies completed for its 2025 Sustainability Report, focusing on options that are both economically feasible and technically viable. Work centres on securing renewable power through new procurement and supply agreements and matching this with future electric mobile equipment requirements rather than retrofitting the current fleet. For engineers, the key signal is that mine design, power reticulation and fleet selection at these New Zealand sites may increasingly assume high-penetration renewables and battery-electric units.

Beijing-based RETTAR is deploying 3D spatial sensing systems in mines and aggregate stockyards to automate volumetric measurement and material tracking, replacing manual surveys hampered by low visibility and data lag. Using fixed LiDAR scanners and mobile platforms to generate high-density point clouds, the technology delivers near real-time stockpile models and reconciled tonnage estimates across crushers, conveyors and storage pads. For mine planners and plant operators, this enables tighter inventory control, faster reconciliation cycles and reduced on-foot exposure around active stockpiles and loading areas.