Geomechanics.io

Finalists for the 2026 NCE Awards have been confirmed, with winners to be announced at a London awards dinner and ceremony in July. Categories typically span major UK infrastructure, including bridges, tunnels, geotechnical works and digital design, with judging focused on buildability, whole-life performance and carbon reduction. Shortlisted teams can now benchmark schemes and methods against peers ahead of the final “big reveal”, influencing specifications, procurement choices and innovation priorities on upcoming projects.

DP World’s London Gateway container terminal has launched procurement for a £36M main works contract to build a high-bay automated storage system dedicated to empty containers. The project will require substantial foundations, pavements and services to support stacked steel racking, automated handling equipment and associated control infrastructure within the existing port layout. Contractors will need to manage construction in a live terminal environment, integrating the new automated facility with current yard operations, utilities and heavy vehicle access routes.

Network Rail is deploying engineers over the Easter weekend for £75.5M of renewals while keeping most of the UK network operational, concentrating disruptive works into the four-day shutdown. The programme typically bundles track renewals, S&C replacement and overhead line upgrades at key junctions and approaches to major stations to maximise access to constrained possessions. Contractors and in-house teams will need tight possession planning, high-output track plant and pre-assembled components to deliver within the limited blockade and avoid knock-on timetable and freight path impacts.

Dellner Bubenzer is supplying a wide range of industrial brakes and couplings for mining hoists, slewing drives and belt conveyors, developed in long-term collaboration with OEMs. The company focuses on both service and emergency braking solutions tailored to heavy-duty mining duty cycles and harsh environments, addressing controlled hoisting, precise slewing and high-tension conveyor stopping. For engineers, the key point is an integrated approach to drivetrain and braking design, rather than bolt-on safety systems, across multiple critical mining applications.

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.

Komatsu Germany Mining Division has launched the PC9000-12 hydraulic mining excavator globally, after an initial rollout in Canada, positioning it as the largest and most advanced unit in Komatsu’s surface mining fleet. The machine targets large-scale open-pit operations, pairing with ultra-class haul trucks and leveraging Komatsu’s global dealer network for deployment and support. For mine planners and maintenance teams, the PC9000-12 signals further upscaling of primary loading fleets, with implications for bench geometry, truck fleet sizing, and pit infrastructure design.

Orica is targeting smaller North American mines and quarries with the same digital blasting toolkit used on large sites, including its BlastIQ cloud platform for blast design and performance tracking and on-bench digital loading systems. Area Business Manager Elliott Giles told IM that these operations, aggregated, form a major explosives volume market, and are now adopting electronic detonators and precise blast modelling to cut oversize and improve fragmentation. For geotechs and drill‑and‑blast engineers, the shift means more consistent burden control, tighter vibration management and better data for pit wall stability assessment even on “small” jobs.

Tega Industries’ DynaPrime mill liner system targets large Australian SAG, AG and primary ball mills, where unplanned downtime can cost operators millions in lost production. The design combines customised composite lifter profiles with high-wear rubber or hybrid liners, engineered to suit specific mill diameters and charge trajectories rather than relying on standard liner geometries. For plant metallurgists and maintenance teams, the key promise is longer wear life and faster relines, directly affecting mill availability and throughput on constrained grinding circuits.

Exploration activity across Australia’s gold and critical minerals sector is intensifying, with Kali Metals and Kairos Minerals (soon to be renamed) among juniors reporting new results. Kali has intersected shallow, high-grade gold, signalling potential for low-strip, open-pit development and relatively simple geotechnical access compared with deeper lode systems. For mine planners and drill contractors, the focus now shifts to tighter step-out drilling, resource definition, and early metallurgical testwork to confirm recoveries and guide pit shell optimisation.

Western Australia is moving to tighten transparency across its diesel and fuel supply chain to protect mine productivity, with new reporting obligations on wholesalers and critical infrastructure operators after recent shipping disruptions and refinery closures. The measures focus on real‑time visibility of stock levels, import routes and storage at key hubs such as Kwinana and Port Hedland, aiming to reduce unplanned shutdown risk for large open‑pit iron ore and gold operations that rely on continuous haul‑truck and power‑generation fuel. For mine planners and operators, the changes signal closer scrutiny of fuel contingency planning, on‑site storage capacity and contract diversification.

US rare earth strategy is shifting from securing ore to controlling processing, with Aclara Resources’ Virginia Tech pilot and planned Louisiana separation plant illustrating a policy pivot towards domestic heavy rare earth separation for dysprosium and terbium used in EVs, wind and defence. Patricio Faúndez, economics leader at GEM Mining Consulting, notes Washington is now deploying price floors, equity stakes and long-term offtakes—tools long associated with China—to de-risk capital-intensive plants. The emerging model favours allied feedstock plus US-based processing, redistributing supply risk across jurisdictions rather than eliminating it.

Wheaton Precious Metals has agreed a US$4.3‑billion silver stream with BHP, securing 33% of silver output from the Antamina copper‑zinc mine in Peru, dropping to 22.5% after 100 million oz, with ongoing transfer payments fixed at 20% of spot and settlement via metal credits. In parallel, Wheaton will invest US$275 million in KGL Resources’ fully permitted Jervois copper project in Australia, taking staged gold and silver streams starting at 75% of payable production and tapering to 25% over mine life. The deals extend Wheaton’s exposure to large, long‑life base‑metal operations while diversifying into Australia.

Cerrado Gold has filed an injunction against Portugal’s environmental regulator APA over the rejection of its Lagoa Salgada copper-zinc project in the Iberian pyrite belt, arguing procedural flaws including an eight-day instead of legally required 10-day consultation and a late-stage objection over a deep, sulphide-contaminated third aquifer earmarked for mine water use. Municipal authorities near Grândola cite conflicts with land-use plans and water risks, despite the project’s Project of National Interest status and extensive hydrological studies. CEO Mark Brennan still targets first production in 2028, with cash flow from the 50,238 oz Au-eq/y Minera Don Nicolás mine and potential offtake/streaming expected to fund development.

First Majestic Silver plans to restart the fully permitted Jerritt Canyon gold mine in Nevada by late 2027, backed by a 2026 spend of US$75 million on technical work, underground development, exploration and plant upgrades and a PFS due in Q4 2026. Updated resources stand at 54.3 million measured and indicated tonnes at 2.35 g/t Au (4.1 Moz) plus 46.6 million inferred tonnes at 2.44 g/t Au (3.66 Moz), following an 18,000-metre 2025 drill campaign and 42,000 metres planned for 2026. The revamped plan combines existing underground workings with new open‑pit potential around the SSX and Smith deposits, seeking to optimise long-term throughput through the roaster-based processing plant.

Atlas Lithium’s Neves project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, has been named in the US-Japan critical minerals cooperation joint fact sheet as the only Brazil-based lithium asset under consideration for government-backed funding, following last month’s US-Japan Critical Minerals Investment Ministerial in Tokyo. The pre-production project will process ore from the Neves deposit through a dense media separation plant to produce lithium concentrate, targeting 300,000 tonnes per year. A 2025 definitive feasibility study projects an after-tax IRR of 145%, NPV of $539 million and an 11‑month payback, supported by a $30 million Mitsui & Co. investment and offtake deal.

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.

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.

Barrick Mining has warned of “significant increases” to the capital budget and schedule for the 50%-owned Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan, where Phase 1 was previously costed at US$5.6–6.0 billion and Phase 2 at US$3.3–3.6 billion, with first production targeted by end-2028. Citing escalating security risks in Pakistan and the wider region, Barrick will slow field development and extend the technical and financing review to mid‑2027, while keeping the project under “active management” with reduced capital spend. The porphyry deposit, holding an estimated 15 million tonnes of copper reserves and modelled for a 37‑year mine life, remains central to Barrick’s Tier 1 copper strategy and its long-term community commitments in Balochistan.

Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads has issued a detailed design tender for two new south-facing ramps connecting to the Sunshine Motorway at Mount Coolum, tied to an upgrade of the Sunshine Motorway–West Coolum Road interchange. The scheme must integrate with Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s planned link between Suncoast Beach Drive, South Coolum Road and West Coolum Road, creating a new local–motorway interface. Designers will need to resolve ramp geometry, weaving lengths and tie-ins to existing pavement while accommodating future council road connections.

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.

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%.

NG Bailey has acquired Sutton-in-Ashfield-based Engineering Solutions Group (ESG), a £30m-turnover business specialising in mechanical and electrical engineering, steel and composite fabrication, civil works and advanced water control products supplied through exclusive European partnerships. The deal targets the AMP8 water sector programme, which is set to double UK water infrastructure investment to £104bn over five years, and gives NG Bailey deeper access to clients including the Environment Agency, Severn Trent, Anglian, Welsh and Yorkshire Water. ESG’s management, brands and workforce will remain in place within NG Bailey’s Built Environment division.

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.

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.