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BYD has made a RMB100 million (about US$14.4 million) strategic investment in Shanghai-headquartered Boonray Technology, a leading Chinese supplier of electric and autonomous mining trucks and control systems. The deal strengthens BYD’s position in heavy-duty battery and drivetrain supply while giving Boonray additional capital to scale autonomous haulage fleets in large open-pit operations. For mine planners and fleet engineers, the move signals continued acceleration of Chinese-made battery-electric haul trucks and autonomy stacks as alternatives to diesel fleets from traditional OEMs.

Magotteaux is expanding its global Scrap Buy Back (SBB) programme, under which it purchases worn grinding media and wear parts from mine sites and recycles them into new high-chrome and forged steel components. The circular-economy model reduces primary steel consumption and transport of waste liners and balls, while giving concentrator operators a controlled scrap outlet and traceable alloy feedstock. For process and maintenance teams, SBB can influence total cost of ownership calculations for mills and crushers by linking wear-life performance directly to scrap value and closed-loop supply.

A fleet of 40 Zoomlion ZT160HEV hybrid haul trucks fitted with CiDi’s intelligent autonomous haulage system has been delivered to a large coal mine in Xinjiang, taking the site’s total unmanned truck count to more than 120 units. The ZT160HEV platform combines diesel-electric hybrid power with drive‑by‑wire controls, enabling CiDi’s system to manage autonomous haul cycles, navigation and collision avoidance in complex pit conditions. For mine operators, the scale of deployment signals growing confidence in mixed hybrid–autonomous fleets for high‑volume coal haulage in remote regions.

Autodesk reports that contractors using its connected construction platform on infrastructure projects are delivering work up to 30 per cent faster with 25–30 per cent fewer RFIs and change orders, by integrating design models, field data and cost controls in a single environment. Case studies cite clash detection on complex bridge and roadworks, mobile issue tracking on tablets, and centralised document control cutting rework and site delays. For geotechnical and civil teams, the data suggests tighter control of design revisions, as-built records and subcontractor coordination under labour and supply constraints.

Main works for Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 in New South Wales have been approved, with construction of the 10‑kilometre line scheduled to start in early 2027. The alignment will link Camellia, Rydalmere, Ermington, Melrose Park, Wentworth Point and Sydney Olympic Park over 14 stops, extending the existing Stage 1 network. Civil and geotechnical teams can expect complex works in a dense brownfield corridor, including utilities relocation and ground interface issues along the Parramatta River foreshore and former industrial land at Camellia.

New grants under Round 11 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative will fund industry-led projects targeting compliance and road safety in Australia’s freight and logistics sector. The Federal Government and National Heavy Vehicle Regulator are seeking proposals that address risks such as fatigue management, load restraint and heavy vehicle interactions with vulnerable road users, with funding directed to practical, on-road interventions. Outcomes are expected to influence operator training, telematics use and infrastructure treatments on key freight corridors.

Gold Fields is building a large hybrid renewable power system at its St Ives gold mine in Western Australia, centred on a utility‑scale solar farm using single‑axis tracking and integrated with on‑site battery storage and existing gas generation. The project is designed to supply a major share of the mine’s load and cut diesel and gas consumption, with the tracking PV array maximising output during peak daytime processing demand. For geotechnical and civil teams, key tasks include foundation design for tracker posts in variable regolith and wind‑governed pile layouts across the flat lakebed terrain.

Supagas national executives identify five trends reshaping LPG use in mining and regional industry in 2026, centring on gas supply reliability, decarbonisation pressures and shifting customer demand for on-site storage and backup generation. The company points to increased dual‑fuel systems pairing LPG with diesel gensets, tighter specifications for bulk tank farm design in cyclone‑prone regions, and stronger interest in telemetry‑equipped cylinders for remote operations. For mine operators, this signals closer scrutiny of fuel redundancy, emissions reporting and hazardous area compliance on both fixed plants and mobile refuelling infrastructure.

CEA has secured national distribution rights for SANY excavators in Australia, starting with operations in Queensland and expanding across its existing dealer network. The deal brings SANY’s large hydraulic excavator range – including mining-class units above 50 tonnes with high breakout forces and fuel-efficient Stage V-compliant engines – into CEA’s portfolio alongside JCB and Atlas Copco equipment. For mine operators, the move increases competition in the heavy excavator market and may simplify fleet support through integrated parts, service and telematics across mixed-brand earthmoving fleets.

Cyprium Metals has identified new copper targets at its Paterson exploration project in Western Australia after completing a first‑pass review of historical and recent geophysical and geochemical data. The company is focusing on intrusive‑related and sediment‑hosted copper systems typical of the Paterson Province, using reprocessed airborne EM, gravity and magnetics to refine drill priorities around existing prospects such as Nifty and Maroochydore. For geologists and mine planners, the work signals potential for deeper, structurally controlled mineralisation that may require directional drilling and careful hydrogeological assessment.

Positive early exploration results from Northern Minerals’ Browns Range heavy rare earths project in Western Australia point to promising mineralisation at the Vulcan prospect and several satellite targets. Recent field programmes, including detailed mapping and infill drilling across the Browns Range tenements, have confirmed extensions of dysprosium- and terbium-rich mineral systems similar to those feeding the existing pilot plant. The results support potential resource growth around the current mine footprint, with implications for future pit design, geotechnical characterisation of new lodes and longer-term processing throughput planning.

Glencore’s 2025 copper production fell 11% to 851,600 tonnes, at the low end of guidance, as weaker grades and operational constraints hit assets including its 44%‑owned Collahuasi mine in Chile, where 2026 output is further capped by water limits and guidance has been cut to 810,000–870,000 tonnes from a previous 930,000‑tonne forecast. Quarter‑on‑quarter copper output rose 12% to 268,000 tonnes in Q4, while metallurgical coal missed BMO’s target by 6% and thermal coal exceeded it by 7%. Market focus now centres on a potential all‑share Rio Tinto takeover bid by 5 February, aimed largely at securing Glencore’s copper portfolio.

Chile has released a National Critical Minerals Strategy that classifies 14 minerals into three groups, with copper, lithium, molybdenum and rhenium in “category A”, where Chile already supplies 23%, 20.4%, 14.6% and 46.8% of global output respectively. Consultants note category A growth will mainly come from brownfield expansions, while new streams such as cobalt, rare earths, selenium and tellurium will require greenfield social and environmental approvals and stronger state capacity. Lawyers and analysts stress the strategy is not law, lacks concrete near-term production commitments for minerals like cobalt and rare earths, and its impact will hinge on a forthcoming action plan, permitting performance and institutional execution.

Uranium prices are forecast by Abu Dhabi-based Teniz Capital to enter a “long-duration structural bull market”, with a 3–4x price increase possible as primary mine output covers only 74–90% of current reactor demand and secondary inventories are largely exhausted. The bank projects uranium demand to rise 28% by 2030 and double by 2040, with new mines needing 10–15 years to come online, making the 2030s supply deficit effectively “programmed”. Kazatomprom, supplying about 39–43% of global production and controlling most ISR-suitable reserves, is identified as a systemically critical, low-cost producer with no comparable alternative this side of 2045.

Gold prices swung violently on Thursday, spiking to a record $5,594.34/oz before plunging 6% to around $5,100 and then recovering to above $5,300, still more than 1% lower on the day. Silver dropped over 6% and copper surrendered most of its gains as investors sold bullion to cover losses elsewhere, with gold having already risen about 25% in the first four weeks of 2026, its strongest monthly run in over 50 years. Analysts from Blue Line Futures, Julius Baer and ING flagged “peak euphoria”, flow‑driven trading and gold’s shift from safe haven to liquidity source as key drivers.

Gold prices near $5,600/oz after breaching the $5,000 mark this week, with JPMorgan strategists led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou modelling a scenario where the metal reaches $8,000/oz by 2030. The bank’s upside case assumes private investors raise gold allocations from about 3% to 4.6% of portfolios, implying more than 40% further price appreciation. Goldman Sachs has already lifted its 2026 year-end target to $5,400/oz, while World Gold Council data show record 2025 demand driven by geopolitical risk and US dollar concerns.

McEwen Inc. has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Golden Lake Exploration via a plan of arrangement, consolidating the Jewel Ridge and Jewel Ridge West projects into its Gold Bar Mine Complex in Nevada’s Eureka district. Jewel Ridge historical drilling includes 2.20 g/t Au over 28.96 m, 1.24 g/t Au over 56.39 m and 2.37 g/t Au over 67.57 m, north of McEwen’s Windfall hole grading 5.55 g/t Au over 44.2 m. Each Golden Lake share will convert to 0.003876 McEwen shares (implied C$0.12), sending Golden Lake up 66.7% while McEwen fell 5.7%.

Cyclic Materials is investing more than $82 million in a rare earth recycling campus at McBee, South Carolina, combining a Spoke facility initially able to process 2,000 tonnes of magnet material per year (ramping to 6,000 tonnes) with a Hub using its proprietary MagCycle and REEPure separation processes. The site will start with capacity for 600 tonnes of mixed rare earth oxides annually, targeting 1,800 tonnes MREO, equivalent to material for about 6 million hybrid transmissions per year, with operations slated for 2028 and over 90 skilled jobs. Feedstock will include 100% of magnet swarf from VACUUMSCHMELZE’s new Sumter plant, positioning the state as a US hub for rare earth magnet recycling and onshored heavy REE supply.

Ten employees from Vizsla Silver’s Panuco silver-gold project near Concordia, Sinaloa, were abducted on 23 January after armed men entered on-site staff accommodations and seized engineers, geologists, security staff and administrators. The Vancouver-based company has suspended operations and activated crisis-management measures while Mexican state and federal authorities conduct search operations led by Sinaloa’s attorney general’s office. The incident, amid escalating clashes between rival Sinaloa cartel factions, reinforces the need for mine operators in northern Mexico to reassess camp security design, travel protocols and contractor exposure.

Rocket Rentals has ordered more than 55 new JCB machines, including 35 zero tailswing excavators spanning from 1‑tonne minis up to the new 15‑tonne 145XR models, to meet rising demand on constrained construction, civils and infrastructure sites. The Gloucester-based hirer is standardising on JCB 145XR, 90Z‑2, 50Z‑2 and 25Z‑1 excavators plus Loadall telehandlers and X Series tracked excavators to maximise slew clearance and reduce strike risk near live services and traffic. The deal also adds JCB’s new CT430 140 tandem roller, specified for high compaction performance on both asphalt and aggregate layers.

Birmingham City Council has awarded Wates Property Services, Equans and Mears a 10‑year repair and maintenance framework covering about 60,000 council homes, with Wates handling 30,000 units, Equans 17,000 in the east and Mears 11,500 in central and west Birmingham. Wates’ package is valued at £1.1bn and Mears’ at £450m, with an option to extend all contracts by five years. The council plans to invest more than £200m a year in planned works, including kitchen and bathroom renewals and energy‑efficiency upgrades to cut heating bills.

SJ Roberts Construction has secured a £10m contract from Powys County Council to build the new 1,650 sqm Brynllywarch Hall SEN and alternative provision school in Kerry, adjacent to the existing outdated facility. Work is scheduled to start in spring 2026 with an 18‑month programme targeting opening in autumn 2027. Lowfield Timber Frames will design and erect the timber frame, with solar PV, air source heat pumps and mechanical ventilation heat recovery specified to deliver net zero carbon in operation.

Builders Merchants Federation is restructuring its leadership after 44% membership growth since 2020, now representing 1,020 merchant, supplier and service firms across the UK and Ireland. Chief executive John Newcomb will become executive chairman by 1 October 2026, retaining his Construction Leadership Council seat and chairing a new strategic development board, while a new CEO will handle internal operations. Under outgoing chairman Richard Hill, BMF absorbed the Institute of Builders Merchants, launched the BMCareers programme, adopted the ETIM product data standard and, with NMBS, created the Data Yard industry data pool.

Royal Bam Group has agreed to acquire Dutch housebuilder Gebroeders Blokland, gaining land and building rights for about 2,400 homes in suburban locations across the south and centre of the Netherlands. Gebroeders Blokland, which will continue to operate independently under its own name, reported 2025 revenue of €95m and EBITDA of €10m, and will lift Bam’s annual residential development potential by roughly 10%. The deal, subject to Dutch competition and regulatory approval, strengthens Bam’s pipeline for sustainable and affordable housing schemes.