Federal funding for New York’s US$16bn Hudson Tunnel Project has been frozen, forcing the Gateway Development Commission to suspend works from 6 February after spending over US$1bn and employing about 1,000 site workers. A Manhattan federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order, giving the administration until 5 p.m. on 12 February to restore reimbursements or appeal, while contractors warn that demobilisation, resequencing and remobilisation will add cost and delay. Sites are now in “safe-pause” mode, with dewatering, ground support and environmental monitoring maintained, and assembly of two Herrenknecht TBMs in New Jersey likely to slip beyond the planned spring 2026 launch without funding certainty.

Swiss Federal Railways has awarded an Implenia/Marti 50:50 joint venture five of six MehrSpur Zurich–Winterthur lots worth just under CHF 1.7 billion, including the 8.3 km Brüttener tunnel (Lot 240) with twin 10 m diameter single-track tubes and a 1 km spur to Zurich Airport. TBM excavation will start in August 2029, with a roughly ten-year construction phase using BIM for planning and execution and extensive special foundations, earthworks and embankments. Additional works cover full redevelopment of Dietlikon station, about 6 km of new track across Dietlikon and Wallisellen sections, multiple underpasses, bridges and the Neumühle railway bridge and Storchen underpass near Winterthur.

Gamuda Engineering has secured the Sydney Metro Stations Package West as principal contractor, covering design and construction of five new underground stations at Westmead, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and The Bays on the 24km Sydney Metro West line between Greater Parramatta and the CBD. The scope includes deep station boxes, entrances and access points, full station fit-out and integration with surrounding precincts, with Laing O’Rourke and DT Infrastructure joining as MetroVista delivery partners. Site works are scheduled to start on Monday, 5 January 2026.

Tender has opened for New South Wales’ South West Active Transport Link (SWATL), a continuous “MetroWay” cycling and walking corridor running the full length of the Sydney Metro Southwest extension. The package will integrate paths with multiple new and existing stations, requiring complex interfaces with rail viaducts, drainage, and road crossings along the corridor. Civil and geotechnical scopes are expected to focus on retaining structures, pavement design for shared paths, lighting foundations, and managing utilities in a constrained brownfield rail environment.

Kennards Hire is scaling its temporary works and plant offering for large renewable energy builds, supplying cranage, access equipment and high-capacity generators to grid-scale solar and wind projects alongside traditional road and civil jobs. The company is bundling traffic management, lighting towers and site power into integrated packages to support remote construction compounds and high-voltage substation works. For contractors, the shift means greater reliance on a single hire partner for critical-path equipment planning, mobilisation and maintenance across multi-year infrastructure programmes.

Tungsten West has appointed Duo Group as EPC contractor for a new-build crushing, screening and ore sorting plant at the Hemerdon tungsten-tin mine in Devon, and signed an agreement to deploy Gekko Systems’ In Line Pressure Jigs in the flowsheet. The project centres on upgrading run-of-mine ore through pre-concentration and sensor-based sorting ahead of jig-based gravity recovery, aiming to improve tungsten and tin yield from the existing open-pit resource. For process engineers, the move signals a flowsheet shift towards higher early-stage rejection of waste and lower downstream milling load.

Atlas Salt has expanded its strategic relationship with Sandvik Mining as part of an updated feasibility study for the Great Atlantic underground salt project near St George’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, building on a comprehensive non‑binding MOU signed in September 2024. The enlarged scope is expected to cover Sandvik’s input on underground mobile equipment fleets and automation-ready mining systems for large-scale room-and-pillar extraction. For engineers, the move signals early vendor integration into mine design, equipment selection and life-of-mine operating cost assumptions ahead of project sanctioning.

Graham has secured a £286m contract to redevelop Manchester Metropolitan University’s Cambridge Halls, delivering 2,302 student bedrooms in two new multi‑storey blocks rising up to 30 storeys on the site of demolished 1990s accommodation. The Cartwright Pickard–designed scheme combines cluster flats, studios, ground‑floor commercial units and a community health centre fronting Cambridge Street. Targeting BREEAM Excellent with air source heat pumps, PV panels, low‑energy heat recovery ventilation and intelligent BMS, phase one is due in 2029 with final completion in 2030.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has appointed Barnfield Construction as main contractor for an £8.5m conversion of the fire‑damaged, Grade II listed St John’s Church into a digital and cyber business centre. Designs by Manchester-based OMI Architects provide 9,500 sq ft of flexible workspace within the 239-year-old structure, linked to the planned Blackburn Skills Campus and opportunities from the National Cyber Force at Samlesbury Enterprise Zone. Enabling works start in March, main construction begins in summer, with completion targeted for early 2028.

Erewash Borough Council has approved Fassa Bortolo’s new UK headquarters and building materials factory at New Stanton Park, a 170,000 sq ft complex with manufacturing plant, training academy and warehousing. The facility will feature a 60-metre main tower, three metres higher than the former Stanton Ironworks chimney, on a 220-acre brownfield business estate masterplanned for up to 4,000 jobs. For materials suppliers and contractors, the site signals a significant East Midlands production hub for renders, mortars and plasters within a £350m global expansion programme.

Transport for London has awarded M Group a £119M, five-year contract to maintain its portfolio of bridges and civil structures, with an option to extend the deal by a further three years. The framework will cover inspection, repair and strengthening of key assets across London’s strategic road and rail network, where many structures date from pre-motorway or early Underground expansion eras. Contractors and consultants can expect demand for complex access solutions, night-time possessions and staged works to keep high-traffic routes operational during interventions.

Network Rail has issued a prior information notice for a £450M Scotland’s Railway Electrification Framework, signalling a multi-year programme to extend 25kV overhead line equipment as part of Scotland’s rail decarbonisation plan. The framework is expected to cover design, civils and structures, mast and portal installations, feeder stations and sectioning cabins across multiple routes, with contractors needing proven experience in live-rail possessions and integration with existing signalling and structures. Geotechnical and civil packages are likely to include new foundations, bridge parapet and clearance modifications, and structural assessments for increased electrical clearances.

Rox Resources has appointed MACA Interquip Mintrex (MIQM), part of the MACA Limited Group, as preferred EPC contractor for the new Youanmi gold processing plant and associated facilities at its 100%-owned Youanmi project in Western Australia. MIQM will deliver engineering, procurement and construction for the plant, drawing on its multi-disciplinary capability across process plant design, structural and mechanical works, and site infrastructure. The appointment signals progression towards detailed design and construction, giving mine planners clearer timelines for integrating processing capacity with pit and underground scheduling.

Turner Mining Group has mobilised a new Caterpillar mining fleet to Minera Alamos’ Pan Mine in Nevada under a multi-year contract, completing assembly, commissioning and crew deployment over the holiday period while holding to targeted production rates. The contractor is now responsible for full-scale mine services, with the Cat fleet expected to handle drilling, loading and haulage across the open-pit gold operation. For engineers, the key point is a rapid contractor transition without a production dip, stressing the importance of parallel commissioning and workforce ramp-up.

Work has begun on a £28m upgrade of RAF Coningsby’s Air Operating Surfaces, with VolkerFitzpatrick reconstructing taxiways and apron areas under a construction contract initially valued at £18.6m and Aecom acting as consulting engineer. As the Lincolnshire base is one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert stations, all works must be sequenced around 24/7 Typhoon launch readiness for 3 (Fighter), XI (Fighter) and 29 Squadrons. Completion is scheduled for October 2026, implying prolonged phasing, night working and tight airside access controls for contractors.

Jackson Civil Engineering has secured a £20m contract from East Sussex County Council to replace the single-lane, 1870s Exceat Bridge on the A259 over the River Cuckmere in the South Downs National Park. The scheme, funded by £7.9m from the Levelling Up Fund, £11.28m from Bus Service Improvement Plan Round 1 and council capital, will remove a major traffic pinchpoint between Seaford and Eastbourne where queues currently form in both directions. Preparatory works are due to start in spring, with environmental sensitivity a key requirement given the Seven Sisters Country Park setting.

Construction of the 7.5‑kilometre M12 Motorway dual carriageway at Badgerys Creek is progressing around the Central Interchange, which will link the M7 and The Northern Road directly to Western Sydney International (Nancy‑Bird Walton) Airport. The interchange comprises multiple bridge structures, elevated ramps and extensive retaining walls, with precast concrete elements supplied and coordinated by National Precast members to manage complex geometry and staging. For geotechnical and civil teams, the works demand careful interface of precast foundations, approach embankments and retaining systems with existing motorway corridors and airport access constraints.

Alligator Energy has started a bankable feasibility study (BFS) on its Samphire uranium project near Whyalla in South Australia, moving the in‑situ recovery (ISR) development closer to a final investment decision as uranium prices trade near 15‑year highs. The BFS will refine wellfield layouts, leach chemistry and processing flowsheets for the Blackbush and Plumbush deposits, building on previous ISR field trials and updated JORC resources. For geotechnical and hydrogeological teams, the work will focus on aquifer characterisation, permeability controls and containment of lixiviant within the target sandstone units.

Sandvik is acquiring South African-based ThoroughTec Simulation, an OEM-agnostic mining training simulator specialist with about 200 staff and 2025 revenues of roughly SEK 170 million, to be folded into Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions’ parts and services division. ThoroughTec’s simulators and training management system will be combined with Sandvik’s digital solutions to deliver data-driven, customised operator training based on real machine performance, targeting higher productivity, improved operator behaviour and lower maintenance costs. The deal, with an undisclosed price, is expected to close in Q2 2026 and be EBITA-margin accretive.

Construction of a new mass transit link between Bristol city centre and Bristol Airport is being prioritised by the West of England Combined Authority, with construction targeted to begin within four to five years. The scheme is expected to provide a high-capacity, segregated corridor along the heavily congested A38 route, replacing or supplementing existing bus services that currently face peak-hour delays. Early work will need to address tight urban corridors, airport security and access constraints, and integration with Bristol’s wider public transport upgrades.

i-80 Gold has secured a US$500 million package, including a US$250 million life-of-mine NSR royalty sale to Franco-Nevada (1.5%, rising to 3% from 2031) and a US$150 million gold prepay facility with National Bank and Macquarie plus a US$100 million accordion, to fund its Nevada growth plan and clear roughly US$175 million of debt. The financing is expected to fully fund Phase 1 and Phase 2, ramping Granite Creek, advancing Archimedes, and expanding Cove underground and the Granite Creek open pit to lift output from ~50,000 oz/year to 300,000–400,000 oz/year by 2031. Longer term, i-80 aims to develop the Mineral Point oxide heap leach project, which has 4.6 million oz Au-eq (measured and indicated) and a PEA outlining a 17-year life at 282,000 oz Au-eq/year, targeting total production of 600,000 oz/year across four Nevada operations.

Sandvik Group has signed a new global strategic cooperation agreement with Chinese contract mining major JCHX in Beijing, following a visit by Sandvik President and CEO Stefan Widing to JCHX’s headquarters on 11 February. JCHX Chairman Wang Xiancheng and Executive Vice President Wang Cicheng hosted the talks, where both parties agreed to expand the breadth and depth of their collaboration across underground mining equipment and services. The deal signals closer alignment between Sandvik’s OEM capabilities and JCHX’s large-scale contract mining projects in China and overseas.

Slippage of Mace’s Paddington over-station development start from Q1 to Q2 2026 has been confirmed, with site acquisition for £55m now scheduled for 25th February 2026 but overall completion still targeted for Q3 2028. Joint venture developers Helical and Places for London have secured a £220m development financing facility from Pimco Prime Real Estate to cover both the acquisition and construction. The Grimshaw-designed scheme comprises a 19‑storey, 235,000 sq ft new-build office structure directly above Paddington station’s northern entrance, overlooking the Grand Union Canal.

Construction has started on The Hive, a £24m co-living development at Kelham Island that will deliver 100 studio apartments with shared kitchens, laundry, gym and yoga studio, office space and a roof terrace by spring 2027, making it Sheffield’s largest purpose-built co-living scheme. Grantside has appointed HBC Construction as main contractor, with Edge as project manager and Cartwright Pickard, Arup, Hoare Lea and Urbana forming the design and planning team. The project is positioned as a high-density, amenity-rich model supporting Sheffield’s target of 20,000 new city-centre homes over the next decade.

Bam UK & Ireland has secured an £18.6m contract to build 120 ensuite bedrooms and four family apartments for clinical staff and students at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple, funded from the national New Hospital Programme’s £22.7m allocation. The on-site blocks will use shared kitchen, living and dining spaces and are intended to cut long staff commutes and mitigate local housing shortages that hinder recruitment. As the first phase of the Our Future Hospital redevelopment, the scheme precedes new operating theatres, ICU capacity, diagnostics and women’s and children’s facilities.

Ascot Resources is rebranding as Cambria Gold Mines and pivoting to a hub-and-spoke plan that will feed its recently built Premier mill with ore trucked from the Red Mountain project, 25 km east of Stewart, British Columbia. Red Mountain hosts 3.19 million tonnes at 7.63 g/t gold (783,000 oz.), is suited to long-hole stoping with existing production-scale underground workings, and is intended to provide most of the mill feed, blended with Premier-Northern Lights and Big Missouri ore. Permitting for the Red Mountain access road, including consultation with the Nisga’a Nation, began in autumn 2025, with construction targeted for this spring, backed by C$175 million in new financing and a restructured Sprott agreement.

Hatch has been appointed strategic delivery partner to Maaden across multiple growth projects in Saudi Arabia, tasked with applying portfolio-wide project development and execution models to unlock the kingdom’s “vast mineral wealth”. The collaboration will use standardised, “world‑class” design toolkits and delivery frameworks to drive schedule and cost predictability across Maaden’s pipeline, which spans phosphate, aluminium, gold and base metals. For engineers, the move signals more programmatic front-end loading, tighter value engineering, and greater replication of process plant and infrastructure designs across greenfield and brownfield sites.

Australia’s St Barbara is launching an aggressive 697 sq. km exploration campaign in Nova Scotia around its planned 15-Mile open pit hub, targeting 56 mesothermal gold prospects along 164 km of anticlines in the Moose River Formation and Goldenville Group, with fieldwork from May using surface sampling and reverse circulation drilling. A prefeasibility study for 15-Mile outlines 103,000 oz/year over 11 years at AISC of $1,188/oz, with a C$283 million Touquoy plant relocation expected to be repaid in about 12 months at $3,000/oz gold. Concurrently, St Barbara is exiting Simberi in Papua New Guinea via a sale of 50% to Lingbao Gold Group and Kumul Mineral Holdings for up to A$470 million to fund a $325–345 million sulphide expansion to 200,000 oz/year.

Transport for London has restarted preliminary market engagement for the Bakerloo Line Upgrade (BLU) Stage 1 Infrastructure Works, progressing modernisation of one of London’s oldest deep tube lines. The notice covers early contractor input on complex brownfield works in constrained tunnels and stations, including track, power and signalling renewals integrated around existing assets and live operations. Contractors are being asked to respond to a refined delivery and packaging strategy aimed at reducing possession durations and construction risk while maintaining service levels.

Vp has cut its profit forecast for the year to March 2026 to £26–29m (pre-tax, before amortisation and exceptionals) after a “disappointingly muted” January return in construction and slower-than-expected AMP8 water spend, despite reporting £17m adjusted profit in the first six months. The group is shrinking its Brandon Hire Station network from more than 100 branches to 41 and shedding 400 jobs, while also disposing of its 856-strong Mr Cropper pile cropping fleet to Aska Rodgers. New chief executive Alice Woodwark signals that material AMP8-driven revenue growth is now expected in FY27, not this year, implying continued tight plant demand from both general construction and early-stage water frameworks.

Bauer Technologies has secured the specialist piling package for phase two of the £650m Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Midland Metro extension, subcontracted by MPB Structures for Transport for West Midlands’ Midland Metro Alliance. The programme, running into Q3 2026, includes reinforced bearing piles, contiguous piled walls and test piles for embankment stations, abutments, piers and retaining structures, using rotary bored and continuous flight auger techniques to handle variable ground and tight access. Works feature large-diameter bearing piles up to 1,000mm and integrity testing with digital thermal imaging.

Rail engineering consultancies Ayesa Engineering (Spain) and Egis (France) have been appointed to support the Ferrovial Bam Joint Venture in delivering HS2 Track Systems Lots 1–3, part of the £3bn rail systems portfolio. The Ayesa-Egis JV will design and assure complex slab track, tunnel and bridge interfaces, and systems integration across the Track Urban, Open Route Central and Open Route North sections, covering most of the 140‑mile Old Oak Common–Birmingham Curzon Street main line. The move imports Spanish and French high-speed rail practice into HS2 despite Spain’s significantly poorer recent rail safety record than the UK.

Walter Thompson (Contractors) Ltd has secured a £6.3m, 12‑month contract to convert Middlesbrough’s Grade II‑listed 1846 Old Town Hall into more than 7,000 sq ft of office space for digital and creative tenants in the Boho Zone. Works include demolition of a 1970s extension, essential structural interventions to the historic fabric, and full restoration and reactivation of the original clock tower. A new modern marketplace extension is planned as a focal element of the town’s 2028 bicentenary, backed by over £4.5m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £1.8m in government funding.

Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission has opened a new $600,000 funding round for community-based road safety projects, targeting local councils, schools and community groups. Grants will support initiatives such as low-cost traffic-calming works, pedestrian and cyclist safety upgrades near schools, and data-led speed management campaigns tailored to local crash patterns. Civil and traffic engineers should note opportunities to trial small-scale infrastructure treatments and behavioural interventions that can later inform larger capital works and network safety programmes.

Evolution Mining has approved a package of high-return growth projects at the Northparkes copper–gold operation while deepening its streaming and royalty partnership with Triple Flag Precious Metals. The board sign-off clears the way for capital deployment into mine-life extension and higher-throughput underground development at Northparkes, with Triple Flag expected to provide structured funding support rather than traditional debt. For geotechnical and mining teams, the move signals sustained long-hole stoping and block-cave planning at depth, plus potential upgrades to hoisting, ventilation and paste-fill infrastructure.

Liberty Gold’s Black Pine oxide gold project in southeastern Idaho now hosts 502.7 million tonnes indicated at 0.3 g/t Au (4.8 Moz) plus 157.1 million tonnes inferred at 0.21 g/t Au (~1 Moz), based on 462,662 metres of drilling in 3,010 holes, placing it among the three largest undeveloped gold projects in the Intermountain West. The resource supports a preliminary feasibility study with a post-tax NPV of US$550 million, 32% IRR and all-in sustaining costs of US$1,380/oz at US$2,000/oz gold. FAST-41 “covered project” status is expected to accelerate federal permitting and inter-agency coordination ahead of a targeted feasibility study in Q4.

Ministers are being pressed by the House of Commons transport select committee to spell out how the Railways Bill will actually deliver the government’s long-term rail investment pipeline under Great British Railways, warning that current proposals give only a “partial picture” of future schemes. MPs want clarity on how enhancements, renewals and major projects will be prioritised and funded within GBR’s structure, and how this links to existing control periods and the Integrated Rail Plan. For designers and contractors, the committee flags that opaque governance and funding rules risk delaying project development and supply chain planning.

United States Antimony and Americas Gold and Silver will build an 18‑month hydrometallurgical processing plant in Idaho’s Silver Valley to treat antimony feed from the Galena complex, which produced 561,000 lb of antimony last year, with capacity to accept third‑party feed. The JV is structured 51/49 in favour of Americas Gold, but US Antimony will manage operations and buy the plant’s antimony output at market terms, integrating it with its Thompson Falls, Montana oxide smelter. The fully permitted site (pending construction permits) is positioned to support US defence‑linked demand and may seek federal funding under critical minerals programmes.

Osisko Development’s Barkerville Gold Mines has signed a definitive project and construction management services agreement with JDS Energy & Mining to build the Cariboo underground gold project in British Columbia. A feasibility study completed in April 2025 outlines a “robust and scalable” underground mine, with JDS to coordinate detailed engineering, procurement and construction management across the processing plant, underground infrastructure and surface facilities. The deal signals progression from study to execution, with geotechnical design, underground access development and shaft/decline construction planning now moving onto a defined EPCM footing.

Zanaga Iron has agreed a binding term sheet under which Mick Davis–backed Red Arc Minerals will invest up to $25 million in staged cash tranches to fund engineering and other pre-production work at the Zanaga iron ore project in the Republic of Congo. The initial funding, paid in five equal sub‑tranches, would give Red Arc a 20% stake in project owner Jumelles, with an option within 18 months to pay a further $125 million for an additional 67.5% interest, taking its holding to 87.5%. Zanaga Iron remains non‑diluted at listed level and would retain a 1% net sales revenue royalty on concentrate, half of which Red Arc can buy back for $50 million.

Barhale has secured three Thames Water schemes under the £200m+ AMP8 major projects framework, covering Brent Cross (London), Benson (Oxfordshire) and South Basingstoke (Hampshire). At Rushgrove Park, Brent Cross, it will design and build an offline foul storage attenuation system with a 560 m³ shaft tank, CSO interception and pumped return, while at Benson it will install a 500 m foul gravity sewer with 15 manholes for new housing and increased capacity. In South Basingstoke, works include a new 590 m sewer plus upsizing of an existing 484 m sewer and manhole upgrades at Kempshott Lane, with design by Barhale’s ESL unit to improve resilience under more extreme rainfall.

Clarion Housing Group has let a £68.35m contract to JRL Group to deliver the Argenta House scheme at Stonebridge Park, comprising 27- and 30-storey towers with 180 homes for social rent and shared ownership opposite Stonebridge Park Station in Brent. The project, designed by Assael Architecture and now 100% affordable, replaces an earlier 24–26-storey, 130–141 unit consent that stalled when Henry Construction entered administration nine months after starting on site. Clarion, having acquired full ownership from the Latimer–Cervidae JV, plans to start construction in March 2026 with completion in early 2030, alongside public realm and connectivity upgrades.

Knights Brown has appointed former MWH Treatment and Wessex Water executive Simon Osborne as divisional director for its new standalone Water Division, completing a restructure into four units: Water, Energy, Southern & Southeast, and Wales. The move targets AMP8 delivery, with Knights Brown already mobilising on three water company frameworks: Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water across Wales, YTL Wessex Water in the south-west, and Northumbrian Water in Essex and Suffolk. Financially, the contractor reported 2025 pre-tax profit up 85% to £3.9m on turnover of £116m, a 15% rise.

Procurement has opened for the first phase of construction on the Tarraleah Redevelopment Project in Tasmania, with the state government calling tenders for major works on the existing hydropower scheme. The upgrade would lift installed capacity from 90 MW to about 190 MW, requiring substantial new civil works on water conveyance, powerhouse infrastructure and grid connection. For designers and contractors, key issues will include staging works around existing assets, hydraulic performance of new headrace structures and foundations in a steep, high‑rainfall catchment.

Pilbara Minerals has executed a new binding spodumene concentrate offtake agreement with Chinese lithium chemicals producer Canmax Technologies, securing long-term sales from its Pilgangoora operation in Western Australia. The deal extends an existing supply relationship centred on Pilgangoora’s large-scale hard-rock lithium mine, which is supported by a six‑megawatt solar farm integrated into the site’s power system. For geotechnical and mining teams, the agreement signals continued high utilisation of Pilgangoora’s open-pit reserves and processing capacity, supporting ongoing pit expansion and infrastructure planning.

Revival Gold is prioritising a restart of the Mercur heap-leach project in Utah, targeting a prefeasibility study by year-end and sequencing development ahead of its Beartrack-Arnett project in Idaho. The company controls about 6 million oz of gold resources across the two brownfield sites and aims for more than 160,000 oz per year from initial heap-leach phases. Beartrack-Arnett is on a longer, roughly 3.5–4-year timeline due to federal land review requirements, while Mercur sits on private ground about 57 km from Salt Lake City in a Carlin-type district.

Elevra Lithium has signed a non-binding MoU to supply Mangrove Lithium with up to 144,000 tonnes per year of NAL spodumene concentrate from 2028, ramping to that level by 2030 and covering about 46% of projected sales volumes, on market-linked pricing with floor and ceiling protection. Mangrove plans a 20,000 t/y lithium hydroxide or carbonate plant in Eastern Canada, potentially on-site at NAL, following a final investment decision by June 2027. The project builds on Mangrove’s 1,000 t/y electrochemical refining plant and an $85 million funding round led by Canada Growth Fund.

Critical Metals’ 2025 drilling at the Tanbreez project in southern Greenland has extended rare earth mineralisation over a 1,750-metre corridor at Area B, with TREO grades typically 0.35%–0.61% and heavy rare earths comprising up to 27% of the total. Final holes at the Fjord deposit returned consistent >0.4% TREO plus gallium, hafnium, cerium and yttrium, supporting further extension and infill drilling in 2026 to refine pit designs and resource models. Tanbreez currently hosts at least 45 million tonnes within a 4.7‑billion‑tonne intrusive body, underpinning a PEA NPV of about $3 billion and a phased ramp-up from 85,000 to 425,000 t/y REO.

TechMet plans to raise up to $200 million in new funding on top of last year’s $300 million round, which included $180 million from the Qatar Investment Authority, to expand its critical minerals portfolio beyond existing stakes in Brazilian Nickel, US Vanadium and Rainbow Rare Earths. CEO Brian Menell, speaking at Mining Indaba 2026, flagged Zambia, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo as priority jurisdictions, alongside the Dobra lithium deposit in Ukraine targeted via a joint US investment fund. The US International Development Finance Corp remains a major backer, with TechMet reportedly valued above $1 billion.

Thames Water has launched procurement for a multi‑lot framework worth up to £177M (excluding VAT) to deliver site investigation surveys across its asset base. The framework will cover intrusive and non‑intrusive ground investigations, including boreholes, trial pits, in‑situ testing and laboratory analysis to support major water and wastewater infrastructure works. Geotechnical and environmental consultants and drilling contractors can expect long‑term programmes tied to pipeline renewals, treatment works upgrades and resilience schemes across the Thames Water region.