Whitehaven Coal has posted record FY26 managed production of 40.1 million tonnes of saleable coal while coal prices fell 27 per cent and the Australian dollar strengthened 6 per cent against the US dollar. Underlying NPAT came in at $227 million and underlying EBITDA at $702 million, supported by a 9 per cent reduction in unit operating costs to $106 per tonne. For mine planners and operators, the result signals continued high utilisation of existing longwall and open-cut fleets despite weaker thermal and metallurgical coal markets.

Ramaco Resources has signed a non-binding MOU with Indium Corporation to negotiate supply of gallium and germanium from the Brook mine rare earth and critical-mineral project near Sheridan, Wyoming, described by Ramaco as the nation’s largest unconventional REE and critical-mineral deposit hosted in coal and carbonaceous ore. Brook is the first new US rare earth and critical-mineral mine in over 70 years, with full-scale mining and construction of a pilot processing facility for vertically integrated commercial oxide production already under way. Indium Corporation, a Clinton, New York-based refiner and solder manufacturer supplying the semiconductor and electronics sectors, would channel Brook gallium and germanium into domestic and allied advanced manufacturing supply chains.

Record iron ore shipments of 201.3Mt from Fortescue’s Pilbara operations in FY26 drove a nine per cent rise in revenue to $US17 billion, supported by higher earnings and stronger free cash flow. The result comes as Fortescue continues heavy investment in its Western Australian mining hubs, rail network and port capacity to sustain volumes above 200Mtpa. For mine planners and contractors, the numbers signal ongoing demand for large-scale pit development, overburden movement and materials handling upgrades across the Pilbara assets.