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Core Lithium has advanced plans to restart its Finniss lithium mine in the Northern Territory by signing a binding offtake and funding agreement with Glencore and appointing experienced mining executive Gareth Manderson as managing director. The Glencore deal is expected to support recommissioning of the Grants open pit and dense media separation plant, which were placed in care and maintenance in 2023 amid weak spodumene prices. For geotechnical and processing teams, the restart signals renewed demand for pit wall stability reviews, tailings and waste dump design updates, and rapid ramp-up of spodumene concentrate production.

High-grade niobium intersections from infill drilling at WA1 Resources’ Luni project in Western Australia have been returned directly adjacent to the existing indicated mineral resource, confirming continuity of the core high-grade zone. The results support ongoing resource definition and mine planning for a potential open-pit operation targeting niobium, with drilling focused on tightening spacing around previously reported high-grade hits. For geotechnical and mine design teams, the new data will refine pit shell optimisation, slope design assumptions and scheduling for early high-grade feed.

Victory Metals has announced a significant mineral resource upgrade at its North Stanmore heavy rare earth elements project in Western Australia after deploying a new flotation flowsheet described as a “game-changer”. The process targets clay-hosted mineralisation and reportedly improves recovery of key heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium compared with earlier leach-only testwork. For geometallurgy and plant design, the results point to a viable flotation-based route for fine-grained, ion-adsorption-style clays, potentially reducing reagent consumption and tailings volumes.

First Phosphate has secured conditional approval for a non-repayable contribution of up to C$16.7 million from Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative to advance engineering and processing circuit studies for LFP-grade phosphate concentrate at its integrated Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean project in Quebec. The work will focus on validating flowsheets and equipment to convert ore from the Bégin-Lamarche deposit, which hosts 41.5 million indicated tonnes at 6.49% P2O5 plus 214 million inferred tonnes at 6.01% P2O5, into high-purity phosphoric acid (PPA) and iron phosphate. First Phosphate also plans a 10,000 t/y iron phosphate plant 20 km from the deep-sea port of Saguenay, targeting a vertically integrated LFP cathode materials supply chain.

Rio Tinto has lifted the suspension on Richards Bay Minerals’ Zulti South project in South Africa, approving a US$473 million investment to extend the heavy mineral sands operation’s life to around 2050. Engineering, procurement and construction for Zulti South has been awarded to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), signalling a major Chinese contractor role in a Tier 1 titanium dioxide feedstock and zircon asset. The project will shift production from the existing Zulti North lease, with long-term implications for dredge mining layouts, tailings deposition and coastal dune rehabilitation planning.

MacLean Engineering has secured C$2.5 million from Natural Resources Canada to advance its battery-electric vehicle R&D programme, centred on the GR8 EV Grader for underground mining. Announced at the Canadian Critical Minerals Forum during PDAC 2026 in Toronto, the funding targets development of a fully electric, high-drawbar grader platform for ramp and level maintenance. The project is expected to refine battery pack design, duty-cycle energy management and traction control for heavy underground support equipment.

Eriez will showcase integrated tramp metal control and feeding systems at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, combining suspended electromagnets, metal detectors and eddy current separators with vibratory feeders for mines and quarries. The company is targeting higher-tonnage operations where crusher and conveyor damage from bucket teeth, drill steel and other ferrous contaminants drives costly unplanned shutdowns. For plant engineers, the focus is on upstream removal and controlled feed to primary and secondary crushers to stabilise throughput and protect high-value components.

Sandvik Mining has launched My Sandvik Geo at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026, a cloud-based service that converts surface top-hammer drill data into near real-time geological and geotechnical models of subsurface conditions. The platform ingests parameters such as penetration rate, torque and vibration from connected drill rigs to infer rock hardness, fracture zones and lithological boundaries along each blast hole. Operators can use these insights to adjust blast designs hole-by-hole, refine burden and spacing, and reduce both overbreak and underbreak in production benches.

Mainmark is deploying non-invasive ground improvement methods such as resin injection and slab lifting to extend the life of ageing pavements and rail formations while keeping roads and corridors open to traffic. The company targets issues like differential settlement, voiding beneath concrete slabs and loss of bearing capacity after extreme rainfall, using small-diameter injection points instead of full-depth reconstruction. For asset owners facing constrained capital budgets and decarbonisation targets, this approach reduces excavation, heavy plant use and associated emissions while restoring serviceability within hours rather than days.

No-Dig Down Under will return on 23–24 June 2027 at the Adelaide Convention Centre, bringing the Southern Hemisphere’s flagship trenchless technology conference to South Australia. The event will convene utilities, councils, asset owners, contractors, consultants and suppliers from across Australia and overseas for two days focused on no-dig pipeline installation, rehabilitation and condition assessment. For civil and geotechnical practitioners, the Adelaide venue signals a concentrated programme on trenchless design, ground risk management and asset renewal in dense urban corridors.

Australia’s latest Geoscience Australia stocktake shows a sharp surge in critical minerals, with reported resources of lithium, rare earths, cobalt and nickel consolidating its status as a primary global supplier. The inventory details expanded reserves across multiple basins and hard-rock provinces, reinforcing long-life project pipelines for spodumene, laterite nickel and rare earths processing. For mine planners and investors, the updated dataset tightens competition with other jurisdictions and will influence long-term offtake, downstream refining capacity and infrastructure planning.

Alemlube has launched its AlemQube Series self-bunded fuel tanks for mine and construction sites, offering integrated dispensing options including unmanaged and managed 12/24V and 240V bowser configurations with B.SMART fuel management technology. The steel tanks are designed for on-site diesel storage and refuelling, reducing reliance on external fuel deliveries and supporting continuous operation of mobile plant and haul fleets. For maintenance and operations teams, the key shift is tighter control of fuel usage and reduced refuelling downtime at remote or brownfield locations.

Victoria’s Government has launched a program to expand domestic critical mineral processing, targeting antimony from the Costerfield mine near Heathcote and other Victorian deposits to reduce reliance on Chinese and Russian supply. The initiative focuses on downstream processing capacity rather than new extraction, aiming to convert locally mined antimony into higher-value products such as antimony trioxide and flame-retardant masterbatches. For miners and processors, this signals potential support for new concentrators, refining circuits and offtake arrangements tied to onshore value-adding.

Lynas Rare Earths has secured a 10‑year operating licence for its Kuantan rare earths processing plant in Pahang, Malaysia, locking in long-term capacity for cracking and separation of neodymium-praseodymium and other light rare earth oxides. The approval follows earlier regulatory pressure over low-level radioactive waste from lanthanide concentrate and conditions on waste management and residue storage imposed by Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board. The extended licence, combined with a reported profit surge, reduces near-term risk to Lynas’ supply chain while its Kalgoorlie cracking and leaching plant in Western Australia ramps up.

Mining drove a rise in gross operating profits across Australian businesses, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics attributing the increase to both higher mining activity volumes and stronger commodity prices. ABS quarterly business indicators show mining outperformed manufacturing, construction and retail, reversing profit softness seen in several service sectors. For mine operators and contractors, the data signals continued capital availability for brownfield expansions and sustaining projects, but also potential cost pressure as upstream suppliers respond to the sector’s stronger margins.

Cameco has signed a C$2.6 billion ($1.9 billion) long‑term agreement to supply almost 22 million lb of uranium ore concentrate to India’s nuclear reactor fleet between 2027 and 2035, equivalent to about 12% of Cameco’s annual output. The contract, announced in Delhi by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, is priced on market‑related terms using an $86.95/lb reference and follows a previous five‑year supply deal that began in 2015. India currently operates 24 reactors with about 8 GW capacity and plans to expand to 100 GW by 2047, signalling sustained fuel demand in an already tight term market of 116 million lb for 2024‑25.

Blue Moon Metals has acquired Teck American’s past-producing Apex gallium‑germanium mine in Utah in an all‑share deal of about 7 million shares, adding a high‑grade Ga‑Ge‑Cu asset where historical estimates reach 1 million tonnes at 0.087% germanium, 0.033% gallium, 1.8% copper and 41 g/t silver. The company plans to fast‑track technical studies, metallurgical testing and permitting at Apex while integrating it with its permitted Blue Moon zinc‑gold‑silver‑copper project in California, which has an NI 43‑101 resource of 3.65 million indicated tonnes at 13.46% zinc equivalent and a PEA outlining over 10 years of production. Synergies also include routing concentrates through Teck’s Trail smelter in British Columbia and leveraging the Springer tungsten complex in Nevada, which hosts a historical 10.7 million tonnes at 0.45% tungsten and is being positioned as a regional processing hub.

Agnico Eagle, Hycroft Mining Holding and Sidney Resources topped MINING.COM’s February Global Mining Power Rankings, with Agnico securing 11.32% of votes on the back of record 2025 free cash flow, roughly $1.4 billion in total shareholder returns, a 12.5% dividend increase and gold reserves of about 55.4 million oz. Hycroft advanced metallurgical testing and project optimisation at its Nevada gold-silver operation, while Almonty Industries’ Sangdong tungsten mine ramp-up and tight ammonium paratungstate markets drove a share price gain of more than 135% year-to-date. Micro-cap leader Sidney Resources progressed the high-grade Lucky Ben underground gold project towards a maiden mineral resource and continued R&D on laser mining technology in Idaho’s Warren District.

Gold surged as much as 2.9% to a one‑month high above $5,400/oz on Monday after US‑Israeli strikes on Iran killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering missile retaliation across the Middle East and a flight to safe‑haven assets. Silver dropped nearly 5% to below $90/oz, while partial airspace closures and suspended flights in Dubai temporarily curtailed bullion flows through the UAE, a key conduit between London and Asian buyers. TD Securities, Societe Generale, Bank of America and JPMorgan all reiterated bullish views, with 12‑month gold targets as high as $6,300/oz.

US GoldMining shares jumped up to 25% to US$15.94 after a preliminary economic assessment for the Whistler project in Alaska outlined a US$2 billion after-tax NPV (5% discount), 33% IRR and 2.1-year payback at US$3,200/oz gold, US$4.50/lb copper and US$37.50/oz silver. At current spot prices, the study projects NPV rising to about US$4.9 billion with a 62% IRR and 1.2-year payback, based on a 126,000 t/d open-pit operation over 14.6 years. The plan envisages two years of construction, US$1.28 billion initial capex and total output of 2.6 Moz gold, 6.9 Moz silver and 592 Mlb copper.

Rio Tinto has secured conditional approval for a C$18.95 million non‑repayable contribution from Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative, adding to C$7 million from Quebec, to advance primary gallium extraction at its 1 Mt/y Vaudreuil alumina refinery in Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean. Working with Indium Corporation, Rio has already produced first gallium and plans a demonstration plant targeting up to 4 tonnes per year from 2027. A subsequent commercial‑scale plant could reach 40 tonnes annually, about 5% of current global output, creating a new North American gallium source from refinery process streams.

Canada’s critical minerals panel at PDAC 2026 warned that the country must rapidly rebuild domestic downstream capacity, with Canada Nickel CEO Mark Selby criticising the historic “ripping and shipping” model and pointing to the loss of majors like Inco and Falconbridge. Speakers cited new federal tools such as the Major Projects Office and the Canada Growth Fund, which is co-investing in Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Quebec facilities, Foran Mining’s Saskatchewan project and the Thompson nickel complex in Manitoba. Foran’s Dan Myerson argued that delivering a copper mine in under five years should be the new benchmark to trigger midstream and downstream plants.

Ottawa has committed up to $17 million each to 30 critical minerals projects worth a combined $12.1 billion, including $16.7 million for First Phosphate’s Bégin-Lamarche LFP cathode material project in Quebec, $2.3 million for Frontier Lithium’s proposed processing plant in northern Ontario, and $7 million for Greenland Resources’ Malmbjerg molybdenum project. Greenland Resources’ scheme is backed by a US$2‑billion, 10‑year offtake with Outokumpu plus a US$275‑million debt LOI from EDC and Nordic ECAs, while Cyclic Materials’ Kingston rare earth recycling Centre of Excellence has secured up to $9.1 million from NRCan and US$25 million from the Canada Growth Fund. Additional moves include up to $64.8 million for international R&D, a Canada–EU project co‑operation LOI with the European Investment Bank, and new raw materials and offtake MoUs involving Leonardo, Panasonic Energy, Neo Performance Materials, Apple and others, signalling strong federal backing for upstream, midstream and recycling capacity.

Rock Tech Lithium and Siemens Canada have signed a non-binding MoU to deploy Siemens’ Digital Twin technology across design, construction and operation of Rock Tech’s planned lithium converter at Red Rock, Ontario, modelled on its fully permitted, shovel-ready Guben converter in Germany. The Red Rock plant is planned for up to 32,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent, enough to supply about 900,000 electric vehicles annually, and would be Ontario’s first lithium conversion facility. Using the Guben blueprint is intended to compress development timelines, cut technical risk and improve capital efficiency for Canada’s midstream critical minerals capacity.