Rosh Pinah Zinc has commissioned Namibia’s first paste backfill plant at the Rosh Pinah zinc-lead-silver mine, enabling cemented paste backfilling of underground stopes to cut dilution, reduce surface tailings and improve ore recovery while being run by a locally trained operations team. The RP2.0 expansion, now over 85% complete and targeting Q3 2026 completion, includes a new portal and decline, new paste fill and processing facilities, a SAG mill and water treatment plants. In parallel, RPZ is executing more than 80 km of diamond drilling to 2027, covering infill, step-out and regional targets to extend mine life.

Northern Graphite will prioritise a US$200 million battery anode material plant at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, with initial capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year from 2028, supplied by the restarted Okanjande graphite mine in Namibia (planned 31,000 t/y over 10 years at a restart cost of about US$35 million). Partner Al Obeikan will hold 51%, lead local debt raising, and tap the Saudi Industrial Development Fund to cover 50–75% of capex, leveraging fast permitting. Planned 20,000 t/y plants in Baie-Comeau, Quebec and France are now secondary, with CEO Hugues Jacquemin calling the Saudi deal a “wake-up call” for stronger power allocations and incentives.

Heliostar Metals has poured first gold from the restarted San Agustin open-pit mine in Durango, Mexico, its second producing asset after La Colorada, with remaining reserves expected to yield about 45,000 oz. The company’s 2026 guidance calls for 50,000–55,000 oz of gold, including 30,000–32,700 oz from San Agustin, at an all-in sustaining cost of US$2,000/oz, after restarting the operation on time and on budget. A 10,000–15,000 m drilling campaign is targeting additional oxide mineralisation beyond the current 14‑month mine life based on 7.36 Mt at 0.29 g/t Au (68,000 oz probable reserves).