China’s Zijin Mining is expanding RG Gold’s Raygorodok operation in Kazakhstan with a $500 million processing plant while deploying SKRI’s ‘phytocapture’ system, planting over 100,000 Scots pines across more than 20 hectares about 1.7 km downwind of the open pit. Supercomputer modelling using regional wind-rose data sets tree species and spacing to form multilayered vegetative barriers, not simple landscaping. SKRI reports particulate-matter reductions above 40%, with the forest belt expected to capture roughly one-third of dust emissions as mining advances towards the barrier.

United States Antimony Corp. has restarted mining at its Stibnite Hill property in Montana after a near five‑month weather-related halt, resuming ore supply to its Radersburg flotation mill and Thompson Falls smelter, the only antimony smelter in the US. The integrated route can currently produce about 15 million lb/year of antimony oxide or 5 million lb/year of antimony metal, with expansion underway and early test work suggesting the ore can be upgraded to meet military specifications. The 2026 programme adds on-site chipping for mulch-based concurrent reclamation and GPS base stations on adjacent peaks to improve vein mapping on strike and down dip.

Vale Base Metals plans to deploy coarse particle flotation at the Salobo III copper operation in Brazil, with COO Alfredo Santana flagging the project during VBM Day on 31 March 2026 as a key example of its operational “excellence” drive. Coarse particle flotation typically targets significantly larger grind sizes than conventional cells, cutting energy use in comminution and improving water recovery, which is critical for large-scale copper concentrators. For Salobo, this points to potential debottlenecking of milling circuits and higher overall copper recovery without major new grinding capacity.

Electrification of mining fleets is advancing beyond early pilots, with battery-electric haul trucks, loaders and light vehicles moving from trial phases into multi-year deployment contracts despite recent pull-backs in some OEM roadmaps. Dan Gleeson details how mines are pairing 6–8 MWh battery trucks with on-site fast-charging bays and trolley-assist lines, and integrating underground BEVs with upgraded 11 kV substations and ventilation recalculations. Operators are reassessing mine plans, ramp gradients and power quality to manage peak loads, charger placement and heat rejection from high-capacity battery systems.

Nixon Hire has launched Pulse, a browser-based portal for its site cabins and solar assets that tracks real-time energy use, carbon impact and operating cost for off-grid renewable deployments. Developed over 18 months with a reported seven-figure investment in data infrastructure, Pulse provides asset-level performance diagnostics, flags energy generation issues and quantifies fuel and CO₂ savings. Users can benchmark efficiency across multiple sites and periods, export portfolio-wide reports in PDF or Excel, and access depot-level ESG and sustainability metrics for corporate reporting.

Aggreko has signed a minimum 15‑year power purchase agreement with Harmony Gold to build and operate what is described as Australia’s largest off‑grid renewable hybrid power facility for the Eva copper project in northwest Queensland. The build‑own‑operate arrangement will combine on‑site renewables with thermal generation and battery storage to supply continuous power to the remote open‑pit operation. For mine planners and process engineers, the long‑term PPA locks in a dedicated low‑emission power source, influencing pit expansion options, processing throughput and future electrification of mobile fleets.

Difficulties implementing mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) are slowing housing projects, with a Home Builders Federation survey of 80 firms finding 84% still struggle with BNG and 80% reporting planning delays while local authorities review biodiversity assessments. Sixty per cent said BNG has deterred them from pursuing sites that would previously have been viable, citing policy uncertainty, inconsistent application of requirements and cumulative regulatory cost. Some capacity issues are easing, with reported shortages of in-house expertise down from 79% to 66% and adequate off-site biodiversity unit supply up from 31% to 47%.

Barratt Redrow has appointed GTC to deliver a site-wide smart energy system for the 576-home Cosmeston Farm scheme in Wales, targeting operational net zero carbon and outperforming the Future Homes Standard. The integrated package links networked ground source heat pumps, solar PV, home battery storage, smart controls and optimisation, grid flexibility services, and GTC-owned electricity and water networks, while still allowing residents to choose their electricity supplier. GTC will monitor whole-home energy use and local network performance, with Cardiff University independently reviewing data to verify net zero operation at scale.

Victory Metals has reported “exceptional” metallurgical leaching results from its 100 per cent-owned North Stanmore heavy rare earth project in Western Australia, with a particular uplift in yttrium recoveries. The company is advancing column leach tests and optimisation of acid consumption after earlier bottle-roll work, targeting a clay-hosted rare earth system amenable to low-cost in-situ or heap leach-style processing. For geometallurgy and mine design, the results point to potential simplification of beneficiation flowsheets and greater emphasis on leach pad hydrology and solution management rather than complex concentrator circuits.

Aggreko has signed a long-term power purchase agreement with Harmony Gold to build and operate what is billed as Australia’s largest hybrid power facility for the Eva copper mine project in northwest Queensland. The off-grid system is expected to combine high-penetration solar PV with thermal generation and battery energy storage, replacing conventional diesel-heavy supply for the planned open-pit copper operation. For mine planners and owners, the deal signals growing bankability of large-scale hybrid PPAs to cut power costs and emissions on remote greenfield sites.

Approval of a 60 per cent Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) concrete mix by VicRoads for road and transport projects across Victoria marks a major shift in allowable low-carbon binders for state infrastructure. The mix, developed and trialled with Geoquest Australia, replaces the majority of Portland cement with SCMs such as fly ash and slag, cutting embodied carbon while maintaining performance to VicRoads specifications. Designers and contractors can now specify substantially higher SCM contents on VicRoads projects without seeking project-by-project exemptions.

American rare earth refiner ReElement Technologies has secured a strategic investment and collaboration with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation to pair MMC’s feedstock sourcing and recycling network with ReElement’s patented chromatography-based separation and purification platform. The partnership targets US midstream bottlenecks by supporting ReElement’s Noblesville, Indiana refining operations via feedstock supply, tolling and offtake, and by jointly assessing rare earth and critical mineral recycling projects in Japan using MMC’s existing recycling infrastructure. ReElement’s modular, chromatography-based plants are designed to process recycled materials, mine waste and primary ores into high-purity oxides with lower capex and operating costs than conventional solvent extraction.

A House of Commons committee warns that accelerating coastal erosion is putting UK transport corridors, utilities and other critical national infrastructure at growing risk, with some assets already within metres of receding cliff lines and undefended shorelines. MPs found current planning rules and fragmented funding streams delay or block schemes such as realignment of coastal roads, relocation of wastewater treatment works and reinforcement of rail embankments. The inquiry calls for a national coastal adaptation strategy, clearer responsibilities between the Environment Agency and local authorities, and long-term funding to prioritise defence, managed retreat or asset abandonment.

Major coastal defence works have started on the Sussex coast as the Environment Agency launches its annual spring programme to protect thousands of homes and businesses from tidal and storm-surge flooding. The campaign typically includes beach recharge using imported shingle, repair and raising of timber and rock groynes, and maintenance of concrete seawalls along key frontages such as Pevensey and Shoreham. Contractors will be working within tight tidal windows, with designs based on recent extreme water levels and wave conditions to maintain crest levels and reduce overtopping risk.

Network Rail has completed replacement of thousands of glazing panels on the historic trainshed roof at London Liverpool Street, Britain’s busiest station by passenger numbers. The works form part of a wider roof refurbishment programme targeting ageing glass and steel elements to improve weatherproofing, daylighting and thermal performance over the concourse and platforms. For asset managers and structural engineers, the project signals ongoing investment in life-extension of Victorian station roofs rather than wholesale reconstruction, with implications for inspection regimes, access systems and future maintenance planning.

Proposals to finally ban cash retentions in UK construction contracts are dissected in Re:Construction podcast Episode 199, with Bishop and Taylor weighing impacts on supply-chain cashflow, SME contractors and existing JCT/NEC payment mechanisms. The hosts also question a Whitehall plan to cut statutory consultation requirements on infrastructure and planning decisions, examining risks for project challenge and programme certainty. A lighter segment looks at plug‑in solar panels and the oddly named fuel component Fatty Acid Methyl Ester, touching on practical implications for site power and plant emissions.

GeoPura has signed a 10‑year agreement with Forth Ports to install a commercial‑scale green hydrogen production plant at the Port of Tilbury in Essex, supporting construction of National Highways’ Lower Thames Crossing. The facility will use renewable electricity to produce hydrogen for GeoPura’s hydrogen power units, which are being deployed as an alternative to diesel generators on the scheme’s major temporary works. For contractors and plant suppliers, the deal signals growing demand for hydrogen‑ready equipment, on‑site storage, and revised logistics for fuel supply to large infrastructure projects.

Ground Data for Growth Bill proposes mandatory sharing and standardisation of subsurface investigation data, turning borehole logs, CPT results and geophysical surveys from individual project assets into a national digital resource. By reducing duplicated ground investigations and improving access to historic GI records, the bill aims to cut early-stage geotechnical uncertainty, programme risk and contingency allowances on major schemes such as HS2-scale corridors and urban tunnelling. For practitioners, this signals stronger emphasis on interoperable formats, metadata quality and long-term stewardship of ground models.

EPCA has signed an agreement to convert a Caterpillar 988 wheel loader to full battery-electric drive for EMJC, delivering a complete electric powertrain retrofit rather than a new OEM unit. The E-988 project will draw on EPCA’s prior experience electrifying large mining assets, targeting zero tailpipe emissions and reduced diesel-related maintenance on a high-duty-cycle load-and-haul machine. For mine operators, the conversion pathway signals growing options to decarbonise existing medium–large wheel loader fleets without immediate fleet replacement.

Latrobe Magnesium has secured a non-dilutive prepayment from its US distribution partner Metal Exchange LLC to advance its Latrobe Valley magnesium production project, which uses fly ash from brown coal power generation as feedstock. The funding supports commissioning of LMG’s initial commercial plant designed to produce magnesium ingots and supplementary products such as cementitious material from waste residues. For mining and materials engineers, the deal signals growing commercial backing for ash-to-magnesium processing as an alternative to conventional dolomite- or magnesite-based routes.

Perenti Limited has appointed Dr Vanessa Torres as managing director and chief executive officer, succeeding long‑serving CEO Mark Norwell at the ASX‑listed mining services group that operates Barminco and Ausdrill across underground and open‑pit contracts. Torres, a former chief technical officer at South32 and senior executive at BHP and Vale, brings deep experience in large‑scale iron ore, base metals and coal operations, including brownfield expansion and asset optimisation. The leadership change signals continuity for Perenti’s contract mining, drill‑and‑blast and underground development business while positioning it to pursue more technically complex projects and decarbonisation initiatives.

South Australia’s electricity demand is forecast by transmission operator ElectraNet to double over the next 15 years, driven largely by new and expanded mines and mineral processing, including copper, rare earths and hydrogen projects. The company points to a sharp rise in large industrial connections across the Upper Spencer Gulf and Eyre Peninsula, requiring major 275 kV and 132 kV network augmentations and new renewable generation hubs. For miners and project developers, grid access, connection timing and firm capacity are becoming critical design and investment constraints.

Australian-listed Vulcan Energy is developing Europe’s first integrated, low‑carbon lithium supply chain in Germany’s Upper Rhine Valley, with geothermal brines, direct lithium extraction and chemical conversion all controlled within a 100km radius of its Lionheart project. The company plans to co‑produce baseload renewable geothermal power and heat while extracting lithium hydroxide for European battery plants, targeting short, intra‑EU logistics instead of importing spodumene or brine products. For geotechnical and process engineers, the project couples deep geothermal wellfields with closed‑loop brine handling and on‑site refining, tightening interfaces between subsurface, plant design and offtake.

Conservative Party leaders have launched a campaign to expand North Sea oil and gas production by issuing more exploration and production licences and backing new offshore platforms and subsea tie-backs. Environmental groups and some devolved administrations are attacking the plan over lifecycle emissions and stranded-asset risk, warning that new fixed and floating installations could lock in fossil infrastructure beyond 2050 net-zero targets. For civil and marine engineers, the policy signals potential demand for new jacket foundations, subsea pipelines and onshore terminal upgrades, but with heightened regulatory and ESG scrutiny on design and decommissioning strategies.

Scotland’s ban on new nuclear build is under renewed pressure after Nuclear Industry Association analysis found EDF’s 1.36GW Torness AGR station has saved Britain’s power system about £2bn since 2021 by displacing gas-fired generation. The NIA argues that, with Torness scheduled to close by 2028 and Hunterston B already offline, Scotland risks losing firm low‑carbon capacity that stabilises grid frequency and reduces reliance on interconnectors. For civil and nuclear engineers, the debate centres on whether to extend existing reactor lifetimes or plan replacement baseload capacity in parallel with offshore wind expansion.

Gold Fields will pilot a prototype Sandvik 66‑tonne diesel‑electric underground haul truck at its St Ives gold operation in Western Australia, as outlined in its Sustainability Report 2025. The trial, to be conducted with mining contractor Byrnecut as “business partner”, will test high‑capacity diesel‑electric haulage in existing St Ives stopes and declines. Outcomes will inform fleet decarbonisation strategy, power demand planning and potential changes to ventilation design for future underground expansions.

Epiroc has introduced a 480 kW underground charging system designed for heavy‑duty battery‑electric fleets, combining ruggedised hardware with OEM‑agnostic interfaces so mixed‑brand loaders and trucks can use the same infrastructure. The system uses dynamic power distribution to allocate available capacity across multiple connected vehicles, reducing peak demand and improving utilisation of limited mine power. For mine planners and electrical engineers, this points to higher charger throughput per substation bay and simpler standardisation of charging bays in constrained headings.

Advance Green Futures has begun a 268-hectare restoration of the former Potland Burn mining site in Northumberland to create a large habitat mosaic and long-term biodiversity management area. The scheme is being structured to generate a tradable bank of biodiversity net gain (BNG) units for local developers needing to meet mandatory BNG requirements on constrained sites. For civil and housing projects in the area, this offers an off-site BNG route that could materially influence land valuation, masterplanning, and consenting strategies.

Dawsongroup Energy Solutions has taken delivery of JCB’s first hydrogen internal combustion engine-powered generator, configured to work alongside a battery system and three-phase grid supply. The unit is intended for top-up and peak power demands rather than continuous baseload, signalling early commercial deployment of hydrogen ICE technology in temporary and distributed power applications. For infrastructure contractors, the set-up points to hybrid site power schemes where hydrogen-fuelled generation covers short-duration peaks while batteries and grid handle steady loads.

Record spending from Western Australia’s resources sector has delivered a $166 billion economic contribution, with mining and energy activity now supporting about two in every five jobs across the state. The sector’s direct and indirect employment footprint spans iron ore, LNG, gold and critical minerals operations, with flow-on work for civil contractors, drill and blast crews, maintenance trades and port logistics. For geotechnical and mining engineers, the scale of investment signals continued demand for large open-pit expansions, tailings and waste facility design, and brownfield infrastructure upgrades.

Durable bins for mining and industrial use are being promoted by Eco Pallets, featuring the Eco-Bin NV, a heavy-duty, reusable storage bin designed for harsh mine-site logistics. The unit is shown fully strapped for transport, indicating compatibility with standard pallet-handling equipment and tie-down systems commonly used on haul trucks and in laydown yards. For operators, the focus is on robust containment of consumables, spares and waste streams, reducing damage and replacement frequency compared with conventional single-use or light-gauge containers.

Australian social enterprise OC Connections Enterprises (OCCE) is supplying Australian-made recycled plastic bollards into road and transport projects while employing people with disability in supported manufacturing roles. The bollards are produced using locally sourced post-consumer and post-industrial plastics, embedding circular manufacturing directly into road furniture supply chains and diverting material from landfill. For asset owners and contractors, the product offers a stable domestic supply of standard traffic-control components with quantifiable recycled content and documented social procurement outcomes.

State Asphalts NSW is pivoting from being primarily a surfacing contractor to developing next‑generation bitumen binders, leveraging 56 years of mix design and pavement performance data across New South Wales networks. A fully commissioned production plant and recent successful binder trials position the company to supply customised polymer‑modified and high‑RAP compatible binders tailored to local traffic loading and climate conditions. For road authorities and civil contractors, this signals a growing local source of performance‑specified binders that can support longer‑life pavements and higher recycled content without major changes to existing asphalt plants.

Tameside Council has launched a £54M highways maintenance framework tender aimed at upgrading carriageways, footways and associated assets across the borough, with scope for use by other Greater Manchester and neighbouring authorities. The multi-supplier framework is expected to cover routine and reactive maintenance, resurfacing, drainage works and structures repairs, favouring contractors offering innovative methods such as low‑carbon asphalts and digital asset management. Bidders will need to demonstrate capability for working under live traffic, coordinating with utilities, and delivering to tight possession windows.

A Ten Minute Rule Bill introduced by a backbench MP in the House of Commons seeks to overhaul how personal protective equipment is specified, designed and procured across the public sector, including for construction and infrastructure works. The proposal targets inclusive PPE sizing and fit for women and smaller-bodied workers, rather than relying on scaled-down male templates, and would place duties on contracting authorities to require compliant kit in framework and project tenders. If adopted, it could force revisions to site safety policies, supplier frameworks and risk assessments where ill-fitting PPE currently compromises protection and task performance.

Scotland will not support new nuclear projects, with ministers rejecting small modular reactors and fusion as “unproven” and “experimental” and instead prioritising capital for onshore and offshore wind, solar and marine renewables. The policy stance signals future grid and civil works centred on high-penetration variable generation, storage and transmission upgrades rather than nuclear-grade foundations, containment structures and cooling water infrastructure. Developers can expect planning and funding levers to favour large offshore wind arrays, repowering of existing wind farms and associated port, cable route and substation construction.

Rising energy and fuel costs are squeezing UK construction materials, with the Construction Leadership Council’s supply chain group reporting a 2% output fall in the three months to January 2026, the fourth consecutive monthly decline. Energy-intensive products and oil-derived materials face sharp factory-gate increases despite some hedging, while imports of wall and floor tiles, exterior porcelain and sandstone from India are being disrupted by higher fuel prices linked to Middle East tensions. Mechanical engineers report copper price rises and steel prices moving so fast that reliable quotes are difficult, prompting calls for earlier forecasting, clearer cost evidence and collaborative risk-sharing across the supply chain.

The UK government’s commitment of at least £22bn to build eight carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects is largely focused on conventional amine-based post‑combustion systems, locking early schemes into high solvent regeneration energy and complex corrosion‑controlled plant. Concentrating funding on this single technology risks under‑investing in alternatives such as solid sorbents, oxy‑fuel combustion and direct air capture, which have different temperature windows, footprint requirements and integration options with existing industrial sites. For civil and process engineers, this narrows scope for optimising plant layouts, heat integration and long‑term retrofit flexibility across diverse emitters.

Brent crude jumping from $92 to over $113 per barrel in a single week is used by Edith Kikonyogo, Managing Director of Aggreko Africa, to argue that African mines should cut exposure to fuel price volatility by shifting from pure thermal generation to hybrid power. She points to integrating diesel or HFO with solar PV, battery energy storage systems and, where available, grid connections to stabilise costs and improve supply resilience. For mine planners and power engineers, the message is to design modular, multi-source plants rather than locking into single-fuel genset fleets.

ABB has integrated its ABB Ability Industrial Knowledge Vault generative AI with the ABB Ability Energy Management System, allowing plant teams in sectors including mining to query energy and sustainability data via natural language rather than fixed dashboards. The system sits on top of existing EMS analytics and reporting, pulling from historical and real-time data to generate on-demand insights, summaries and explanations. For mines running complex power mixes and demand-response contracts, this could shorten decision cycles for load shifting, peak shaving and emissions reporting without reconfiguring SCADA or historian setups.

Geothermal Engineering Ltd has begun commercial-scale production of zero‑carbon lithium carbonate at its United Downs geothermal power plant in Cornwall, using Watson‑Marlow 630 and Qdos peristaltic pumps for reagent dosing. The pumps provide sealed, low‑maintenance chemical transfer with precise flow control, supporting closed‑loop extraction from hot brines and reducing operator exposure to corrosive fluids. For process engineers, the choice of peristaltic technology signals a preference for accurate metering and simplified containment over more complex diaphragm or centrifugal dosing systems in geothermal lithium circuits.

Topping out of the five-storey MY Central office block marks a key milestone in Railpen and Socius’s £180m Mill Yard mixed-use campus on Devonshire Road, Cambridge, which will deliver 110,000 sq ft of flexible workspace, 70 build-to-rent apartments and a 2,100 sq ft nursery by 2027. Morgan Sindall Construction is targeting NABERS Design for Performance 5-star and BREEAM Outstanding ratings for the all-electric buildings, using its CarboniCa tool to pursue an embodied carbon saving of 5,013 tonnes and diverting 99% of waste from landfill. The scheme includes 1.55 acres of public green space with over 120 trees, green roofs, bat/bird/bee boxes, hedgehog habitats and a 280% biodiversity net gain target, plus a community pavilion by George King Architects, perimeter running track and secure cycle facilities.

The Future Homes Hub has launched a cross-sector Water Smart Growth Board (WSGB) to coordinate integrated water management for new housing growth across England, linking developers, water companies and regulators. The WSGB will focus on aligning housing delivery with water resource constraints in stressed catchments, promoting measures such as higher water-efficiency standards in new homes and strategic SuDS deployment. For civil and geotechnical teams, the move signals closer scrutiny of drainage design, surface water attenuation and groundwater impacts at masterplanning stage.

Metso is upgrading its Grate Kiln pelletising system to produce higher-quality iron ore pellets tailored for direct reduction (DR) processes in green steelmaking, targeting tighter control of pellet size, strength and metallisation behaviour. The system integrates travelling grate, rotary kiln and annular cooler units, enabling consistent firing temperatures and uniform induration suited to gas-based DR furnaces and potential hydrogen-based reduction. For miners and pellet plants, the move signals growing technical pressure to supply DR-grade pellets with low gangue, high Fe content and predictable reducibility indices.

AngloGold Ashanti has completed a pre-feasibility study for its Arthur project in Nevada’s Beatty district, confirming 4.9 million oz of gold reserves across the Silicon and Merlin deposits and outlining an initial nine-year mine life with average output of 500,000 oz/y. More than 95% of mineralisation is oxide, suited to bulk mining and conventional processing, with all-in sustaining costs estimated at $954/oz and initial capex at $3.6 billion. Using a $1,950/oz base case, AngloGold reports after-tax NPV (5%) rising from $1.7 billion at $2,715/oz to $3.4 billion at $3,500/oz, with feasibility work starting June alongside environmental and hydrological baseline studies.

WSP and Mott MacDonald are advising Great British Energy – Nuclear on securing a Development Consent Order for small modular reactors at the Wylfa site, one of the UK’s most advanced potential new nuclear locations. The team is working within a revised National Policy Statement and post-Brexit environmental assessment regime to integrate nuclear site licensing, marine works and grid connection into a single consenting strategy. Outcomes at Wylfa are expected to set practical precedents for SMR siting, coastal protection design and long-term radioactive waste and cooling water management on future UK nuclear schemes.

JCB will from June 2026 offer selected tracked excavators – the 140X, 145XR, 150X, 220X and 245XR – factory‑specified to run on 100% FAME B100 biodiesel derived from recycled vegetable oils, supplied by Syntech Biofuel and compliant with BS EN 14214 and ISCC certification. Machines ordered with a B100 pack and dealer B100 enhanced service contract retain full JCB warranty, and can be converted back to conventional diesel before resale to protect residual values. JCB claims up to 93% greenhouse gas reduction versus standard diesel with no performance loss, giving contractors an immediate low‑carbon option for heavy earthworks plant.

EACON’s ORCASTRA® autonomous haulage system has been deployed on 120 Tonly TLE138 battery-electric wide body trucks, each with a 90 t payload, at the Zhundong Open-Pit Coal Mine in northwest China, forming one of the largest single-site battery-electric haulage fleets globally. The fleet-scale autonomy on BEVs targets lower diesel-related ventilation demand and reduced haul unit operating costs on the mine’s large waste and coal benches. For mine planners and geotechnical teams, consistent autonomous haul patterns on wide body trucks will influence ramp geometry, dump stability, and traffic management design.

Edinburgh’s City of Edinburgh Council has given ‘minded to approve’ consent for Vivere Extra Care Group’s £25m, 2.2-acre retirement village at the former Lansdowne House / Lower School Campus site on Coltbridge Terrace, delivering 48 extra care homes with communal lounges, parking and gardens. The scheme will incorporate what is described as Scotland’s first Zero Carbon 5G heat network on the brownfield plot, alongside refurbishment of the 1875, TB McFadzen-designed, listed Victorian villa, lodge and stables. New-build elements will replace later additions and are being designed to match the original Victorian character.

Australia is emerging as a “global resource rising star”, with International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol pointing to its large reserves of lithium, nickel and rare earths plus mature iron ore and coal supply chains as key leverage in an electrified energy system. Birol flagged that Australia’s existing export infrastructure, established ESG frameworks and experience supplying over 50 per cent of global seaborne iron ore give it a strategic edge as EV and grid-scale battery demand accelerates. For miners, the message is to fast-track critical minerals projects and downstream processing while maintaining cost competitiveness against Latin American and African producers.