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Ballot is now open for Institution of Civil Engineers members to elect new representatives to the ICE Trustee Board and Council, giving chartered, incorporated and graduate members a direct say in governance and strategic direction. Successful candidates will influence priorities on infrastructure policy, climate resilience, digital engineering and professional standards, which in turn shape guidance, training and best practice documents widely used on UK and international projects. Practitioners should check eligibility, review candidate statements and vote before the ballot deadline to ensure their sector and regional interests are represented.

Bringing together expertise to tackle infrastructure challenges is framed around the Institution of Civil Engineers convening practitioners to address complex, fast-changing infrastructure demands, from climate resilience to ageing assets. The piece stresses cross-disciplinary collaboration between geotechnical, structural and transport engineers, with members sharing practical experience on issues such as flood defence upgrades, urban tunnelling constraints and whole-life performance of major assets. For practitioners, the message is that structured knowledge exchange and peer networks are becoming as critical as design codes for managing risk and delivering robust infrastructure.

Anne Marie Conibear has been named the recipient of the Institution of Civil Engineers Republic of Ireland Outstanding Achievement Award 2026, recognising her contribution to civil engineering in the region. While specific projects are not detailed, the award typically reflects sustained leadership on complex infrastructure delivery, professional standards, and mentoring within the ICE RoI community. Practitioners can expect her work to continue influencing best practice in Irish transport, water and geotechnical schemes through ICE committees, guidance and knowledge-sharing activities.

Continually striving to be “carbon competent” is framed as core business practice for civil and infrastructure engineers, not an optional add‑on, given construction’s position among the largest global CO₂ emitters. The piece stresses embedding whole‑life carbon assessment alongside cost from concept stage, using PAS 2080‑style baselines, carbon factors for key materials such as cement and steel, and early optioneering to avoid high‑carbon designs. Firms that normalise carbon literacy in project teams are portrayed as better placed to win low‑carbon tenders, manage regulatory risk and protect margins as carbon pricing tightens.

ICE is bucking the national trend of falling engineering registrations, remaining one of the strongest performing professional institutions in the UK in 2025. While other UK engineering bodies report year‑on‑year declines in new chartered and incorporated engineers, ICE is recording growth in professional registrations across its core civil, structural and infrastructure disciplines. For consultants, contractors and asset owners, this signals a deeper pool of professionally accredited civil engineers for roles tied to NEC4 delivery, safety‑critical design sign‑off and UK-SPEC/CEng competence requirements.

Delivery of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Carbon Management Plan is focusing on quantifying and cutting operational emissions from its estate, events and digital activities, with trustees targeting Scope 1, 2 and key Scope 3 sources. Current priorities include metered energy reduction in offices, low‑carbon procurement for facilities management, and tighter travel policies for conferences and committee meetings. For practising engineers, the approach signals stronger expectations on whole‑life carbon reporting, supplier data quality and alignment with PAS 2080 and emerging UK net zero requirements.

Endeavour Silver’s latest drilling at the Terronera mine in Jalisco, Mexico, is returning high-grade intercepts outside the current 10‑year mine plan, including 10 metres at 282 g/t silver and 1.8 g/t gold in hole TRU‑001 and 9 metres at 150 g/t silver and 6.3 g/t gold in TRU‑003. Two rigs are testing extensions on the main Terronera vein and the La Luz system through Q4, with La Luz hits such as 2.95 metres at 176 g/t silver and 3.84 g/t gold (LL‑44) confirming mineralisation remains open along strike and at depth. With Terronera already hosting 7.38 million proven and probable tonnes at 197 g/t silver and 2.25 g/t gold, analysts see scope for resource growth and mine‑life extension as underground drill platforms are developed.

Copper concentrate exports from Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia resumed on Thursday after Radical Reform Movement protesters briefly blocked the main haul route for concentrate trucks to the Chinese border. The disruption comes as the Mongolian government, holding 34% via Erdenes Mongol LLC, pushes to reopen commercial terms, accelerate dividend payments and pursues legal action over alleged tax underpayments, despite Rio having waived $2.4 billion of state debt in 2022. Oyu Tolgoi, 66% owned by Rio, is slated to be the world’s fourth-largest copper mine by 2030 as underground output ramps up.

Energy Fuels has secured a conditional loan commitment of up to $725 million from the US Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital to build a US-based rare earth separation and metallisation facility, expanding beyond its existing uranium and rare earth oxide operations at the White Mesa Mill in Utah. The project targets the midstream “mine-to-magnet” bottleneck by supplying separated rare earths for permanent magnet plants serving EVs, wind turbines, HDDs and defence systems, amid Chinese export restrictions. The loan is contingent on financial, legal and technical due diligence, with OSC debt commitments now exceeding $5 billion across fiscal 2026.

Falco Resources’ updated feasibility study for the Horne 5 underground polymetallic project in Rouyn-Noranda lifts post-tax NPV (5% discount) to C$3.35 billion, up 244% from 2021, with initial capex rising to C$1.75 billion and IRR increasing to 28%. The 80.9 million tonnes of proven and probable reserves grade 1.44 g/t gold, 14.1 g/t silver, 0.17% copper and 0.77% zinc, supporting a 15-year mine life producing 3.3 Moz gold, 27.2 Moz silver, 1.1 Blb zinc and 247.3 Mlb copper. Quebec’s Environment Ministry expects to complete its acceptability analysis by autumn 2026, while Glencore holds development rights and an offtake for copper and zinc concentrates tied to its nearby smelter.

BHP will take a $2.3 billion impairment on its Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan as Stage 2 capex rises to $6.9 billion and Stage 1 costs climb to $8.4 billion, lifting total projected spend to $15.3 billion. Stage 2, now only 16% complete, has been delayed around two years to first production in late FY2031, with BHP blaming extra construction hours and higher material quantities. Once both stages ramp up, Jansen is planned to produce about 8.7 Mtpa, roughly 10% of global potash output, at a targeted $114–130/t unit cost.

US nuclear fuel supplier Centrus Energy has signed a multi-year letter of intent to provide domestically produced high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from its American Centrifuge Plant in Pike County, Ohio, to power five of Oklo’s Aurora fast-fission small modular reactors within a planned 1.2 GW campus. First fuel delivery is targeted for 2029, aligned with a multi-billion-dollar expansion of the Piketon enrichment plant backed by a $900 million US Department of Energy HALEU task order, expected to add 1,000 construction and 300 operating jobs. The deal underpins fuel security for Oklo’s liquid-metal-cooled, low-water Aurora Powerhouses, which will supply Meta’s data centres under a build-own-operate model.

Trinity Metals has doubled exports from its Nyakabingo tungsten mine in Rwanda to Global Tungsten & Powders, now supplying up to 20% of US primary tungsten concentrate consumption, with more than 320 tonnes of 65–70% WO₃ wolframite shipped since a 2025 offtake deal with Traxys. The 1,600-hectare Nyakabingo concession holds an estimated 30,000 tonnes of recoverable tungsten, is licensed for 25 years from 2015, and is undergoing deep drilling to expand resources. Trinity plans to triple production and is targeting a $100–$200 million international listing, positioning Rwanda as a key conflict-free 3T supplier amid Chinese export restrictions.

Alamos Gold expects second-quarter output from its Young-Davidson underground mine in northern Ontario to fall to 130,000–135,000 oz, about 12% below prior guidance, after two seismic events damaged infrastructure and cut access to two higher-grade stopes, compounded by a three-day storm-related power outage. Consolidated 2026 production is now projected below full-year guidance with unit costs rising, with revised figures due in July. Production stability is shifting to the Island Gold District, where underground mining rates are planned to increase from 1,500 to 2,000 t/d and the Magino mill ramp-up targets 10,000 t/d by Q3.

Small and micro modular reactors (SMRs and microreactors) sit at the bottom of miners’ low‑carbon power options, despite intense promotion of 300 MW‑class SMRs, AI‑optimised reactor operations and bullish uranium price forecasts. Developers are pitching factory‑built, modular units for remote sites and off‑grid mines, but operators still prioritise proven renewables‑plus‑storage, grid power and gas or diesel hybrids. For mine planners and power engineers, nuclear remains a long‑term possibility rather than a near‑term procurement item for new pits, expansions or remote processing hubs.

Martin Engineering has introduced the N2 Air Cannon Intelligence (ACI) System, turning conventional air cannons in cement kilns and other high-temperature process lines into monitored, connected assets. Wireless N2 sensors mounted on each cannon feed real-time pressure, firing and cycle data to a central gateway, allowing operators to detect misfires, blocked valves and suboptimal firing sequences without manual inspection. For materials handling and process engineers, this enables tighter control of build-up removal on preheaters, riser ducts and clinker coolers, reducing unplanned shutdowns and compressed air waste.

Brazil Potash has awarded a second Front-End Engineering Design contract for mine shafts and underground development at its Autazes potash project in Amazonas State, Brazil, to WSP UK, with Redpath Deilmann as subconsultant for the shaft scope. The FEED package will define shaft configuration, sinking methodology and underground access layouts for the planned solution mining-style potash operation, de-risking detailed design and construction tendering. For geotechnical and shaft specialists, the appointment signals early engagement on ground control, lining design and water inflow management in challenging Amazon basin conditions.

Cementation Americas, Cementation Africa and Terra Nova Technologies (TNT) have entered a strategic ownership transition that commercially closed on 19 May, placing control of these underground mining, EPCM and materials handling specialists under a consortium led by South African investment group Differential Capital by 25 June 2026. The deal includes Merit Consultants International within Cementation Americas, consolidating shaft sinking, raiseboring, underground construction and overland conveyor expertise under a single investment umbrella. For mine developers, the move signals a more integrated offering across design-build, underground infrastructure and bulk materials handling on a global project basis.

Metso has expanded its primary crushing line-up with three new machines: the Primarok™ next‑generation primary gyratory, the Optirok™ evolved primary jaw crusher, and the Durarok™ large sizer for high-capacity installations. The range targets different front‑end configurations, from deep open pits feeding large gyratories to operations preferring jaw‑based plants or low‑height sizer stations. For mine planners and process engineers, the trio broadens options for matching crusher type to ROM fragmentation, bench geometry and downstream throughput constraints.

Normet’s battery-electric fleet at Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi underground copper-gold mine in Mongolia is being used at scale to prove full-cycle electrification in a deep, block-cave operation with long ramp hauls and high ambient temperatures in the South Gobi Desert. Multiple BEV platforms, including concrete sprayers, scalers and utility vehicles, are operating in extensive development and production areas, replacing comparable diesel units in demanding ground conditions. Early data on energy use, heat load and maintenance intervals is informing ventilation design, power distribution planning and future fleet selection for large underground projects.

Australian construction costs are projected to stay high for at least three years, with WT’s latest Australian Construction Market Conditions Report forecasting 2026 BAU escalation of 5.5 per cent for building and 5.1 per cent for infrastructure. The twice-yearly report links sustained cost pressure to geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain volatility, affecting major road, rail and civil works procurement. Contractors and clients will need to factor higher escalation allowances into long-duration contracts, risk contingencies and value engineering for large transport and public infrastructure programmes.

UK airports are pushing complex upgrades while remaining fully operational, with Manchester Airport’s £1.3bn, decade-long transformation phasing terminal rebuilds, new piers and airfield works around peak flight schedules. Gatwick’s Northern Runway project is progressing as a standby strip is widened and regraded to full main-runway standard under tight night-time possession windows and strict obstacle limitation and pavement strength constraints. Heathrow’s proposed megaprojects are being planned around segregated work zones, temporary taxiways and stand reconfigurations to maintain declared runway capacity and minimise disruption to airside logistics.

ATG Access marks 35 years in perimeter security engineering, tracing the shift from basic manually operated bollards in 1991 to today’s PAS 68/IWA 14-tested automatic bollards and sliding barriers designed to stop 7.5 t vehicles at impact speeds above 50 km/h. The company describes how hostile vehicle mitigation has moved from ad hoc street furniture to integrated systems with buried foundations, shallow-mount cassettes for congested utilities corridors, and impact-rated street furniture. For civil and highway schemes, the message is to design security early, coordinate with below-ground services, and plan for whole-life maintenance of hydraulic and electromechanical components.

A £3.8M multi-agency flood alleviation scheme has moved into the construction phase in the Avon Road area of South Stanley, County Durham, targeting properties repeatedly affected by surface water and fluvial flooding. Works are expected to include new surface water drainage infrastructure, upgraded culverts and localised storage or attenuation features to increase capacity during intense rainfall events. For civil and geotechnical teams, key issues will be managing shallow utilities, maintaining access in a residential setting, and detailing foundations and backfill to cope with variable ground conditions and high groundwater during storms.