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Talon Metals’ latest drilling at the Tamarack nickel-copper-cobalt project in Minnesota reports hole 25TK0563C with 15.23 metres grading 7.82% Ni, 7.7% Cu, 0.06% Co, 8.77 g/t Pd+Pt and 3.09 g/t Au from about 774 metres depth in the high-grade Vault zone, 16 metres southwest of last year’s 35-metre massive nickel intercept. Step-out holes 25TK0563D and 25TK0569 have intersected 3 metres and ~19 metres of massive or mixed massive sulphides respectively, guided by borehole EM, with assays pending. With mineralisation open in all directions and a feasibility study and environmental assessment due by mid-2026, the results signal significant potential for resource expansion and future underground mine planning.

Rio Tinto and Chinalco have secured unconditional CADE approval for their joint R$4.69 billion ($910 million) acquisition of a controlling stake in vertically integrated aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA), triggering a tender offer for remaining shares. The stake will be held via a joint venture 67% controlled by a Chinalco subsidiary and 33% by Rio Tinto, adding CBA’s bauxite mines, alumina refineries and smelters to their portfolios. CBA’s 23 hydroelectric generators, additional wind assets and 0.36 Mt of 2024 aluminium output bolster Rio’s existing 3.38 Mt/y hydropowered aluminium platform.

Aluminium prices climbed above $3,400/t on the LME, up 4% in a week, as war-related disruption in the Middle East and an effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off around 9% of global supply and forced major smelters in Qatar and Bahrain to declare force majeure on shipments. Rio Tinto has offered Japanese buyers a Q2 premium of $350/t over the LME cash price, about 40% higher than its previous proposal and the highest Japan has faced since 2015, driven by stronger European and US premiums plus higher freight and insurance. The LME–Shanghai premium is now at its widest since April 2022, potentially pulling more primary metal exports from China, where March shipments are expected to rise by more than 5% year-on-year on demand from AI hardware and solar manufacturing.

Myriad Uranium has doubled the footprint of its Copper Mountain project in Wyoming from 9,439 acres to 18,351 acres after new geophysical surveys identified uranium anomalies in previously untested ground, mainly to the east. By integrating these survey results with historic Bendix Field Engineering data for the US Department of Energy, the company now controls about 62% of the 655 million lb eU₃O₈ “assessment area” and 80% of the 245 million lb eU₃O₈ “control area” to 600 ft depth. Copper Mountain, a former Union Pacific hub-and-spoke, six-pit concept centred on the Canning deposit, is 75% owned by Myriad via an option with Rush Rare Metals.

Nickel prices are set for further gains in 2026 as Macquarie now expects Indonesia’s tighter production quotas to flip the market from a previously forecast 90,000-tonne surplus into deficit, with LME nickel forming a price floor around $17,000–18,000 per tonne. Indonesian ore premiums have already driven about a $3,000 rise in nickel pig iron prices, while NPI output fell an estimated 10% year-on-year in January–February as furnaces shifted to higher-payable nickel matte. Additional constraints include limonite shortages, the Morowali tailings dam accident curbing MHP output, and disrupted sulphur supply from the Middle East delaying new capacity.

Titan Mining has begun shipping graphite concentrate from its 1,200 tpa Kilbourne demonstration plant at the Empire mine in New York, having produced about 1,600 kg for customer qualification, and has launched a fully funded feasibility study for a 40,000 tpa integrated mine-and-processing operation. The Kilbourne deposit carries an open-pit constrained inferred resource of 22 million tonnes at 2.91% Cg (about 653,000 tonnes contained graphite), with 82% of infill and 51% of exploration drilling already completed to upgrade and expand resources. The study will refine final pit design, processing flowsheet, infrastructure and cost estimates, ahead of a targeted construction decision in late 2026 or early 2027, backed by an EXIM Bank letter of interest for up to US$120 million.

Australian crane specialist Marr is deploying the lanyard‑based Buddie System for the first time in the UK on HS2’s Old Oak Common site, supporting heavy lift luffing jib crane operations for the Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA JV. Developed by industry veterans Gary Panagiotidis and Jade Harris, the system allows up to 10 slinger‑signallers to trigger an emergency alert to the crane operator with a simple tug, bypassing issues with hand signals, whistles and radio interference. Marr first used the system on two Sydney projects in 2025 and now sees it as a critical control for loss‑of‑communication incidents.

The Association for Consultancy & Engineering is urging government to create a national digital catalogue of modular design code components – including standard street types, block layouts and frontage rules – backed by automated rule-checking tools. The proposal would enable a “comply-through-code” planning route, where schemes meeting codified standards on parameters such as height limits, daylight access and active frontage ratios could receive streamlined approvals. ACE argues this digital planning infrastructure, linked to the Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance, would let resource‑constrained councils apply design codes faster while maintaining consistent placemaking quality.

Brick and block producer Forterra delivered 2025 revenue of £386.0m, up 12.1% year-on-year, with adjusted profit before tax rising 62.9% to £36.0m despite muted aircrete and aggregate block despatches and an 8% fall in UK domestic brick despatches in January 2026 versus January 2025. Output gains came from both kilns at the Desford brick factory running simultaneously for the first time and near-complete redevelopment of the Wilnecote plant, plus strong demand for Bison precast concrete flooring. Statutory results absorbed £6.7m of restructuring costs from closing the Formpave and Bison Bespoke Precast divisions, while Forterra launched its Omnia extruded brick slip range at Accrington.

Hounslow Council has launched the £7.5bn Golden Mile London regeneration along a 4km stretch of the A4 Great West Road, planning 14,000 homes over 15 years and positioning the corridor, which already hosts 37% of UK broadcast media jobs, for intensified mixed-use development. Early schemes include redevelopment of the former GSK HQ at 980 Great West Road into a neighbourhood with about 2,300 homes and 320,000 sq ft of commercial and community space, plus an A4 improvement package. A Golden Mile Skills and Innovation Hub with the University of West London and Hadley Property Group targets creative, digital and technology sectors, signalling major long-term infrastructure and utilities demand.

The Financial Reporting Council has launched an investigation into two former Vistry accountants over a £165m costing error on nine housing development sites in the south of England in 2023–24. The misstatement is linked to forecasting and financial reporting in Vistry’s South division and is speculated to involve failure to account properly for construction cost inflation within its partnership model, where sale prices are fixed before build. The probe targets only the two unnamed individuals, with Vistry stating they have left the company and that it will cooperate fully.

Balfour Beatty’s UK Construction division has finally exceeded its long-stated 3% margin goal, lifting operating margin to 3.5% in 2025 on £3,112m revenue, with underlying operating profit up 35% to £110m even after stripping out an £11m insurance recovery. Group revenue rose 7% to £10.77bn and reported pre-tax profit jumped 50% to £323m, aided by a £25m non-underlying credit versus a £49m charge in 2024. The UK Construction order book swelled 44% to £8.9bn, heavily supported by Sizewell C nuclear works and the Net Zero Teesside carbon capture project.

Heidelberg Materials has produced 1,303 tonnes of asphalt at its Criggion quarry in Powys using 100 per cent hydrogen in place of liquid fossil fuels, in what is claimed as the UK’s first hydrogen-fuelled asphalt production run. The trial, part-funded under DESNZ’s Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator, consumed 4,522 kg of hydrogen and cut scope 1 emissions by 76 per cent, equating to a 23 per cent reduction in product carbon footprint and 25,105 kg of CO₂ saved. If replicated across UK asphalt plants, the approach could abate around 450,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, pending proof of commercial viability.

The first completed UK Net Zero Carbon Building Standard has been released as a free, voluntary framework defining net zero for both embodied and operational carbon, following pilot testing on more than 200 projects and review of over 3,000 public comments. Version 1 adds annexes for office buildings, allowing separate tenant-only or landlord-only verification where whole-building data are unavailable, and a ‘Practical completion on track’ route to confirm alignment at handover. Independent verification, being developed with Bureau Veritas, is scheduled to go live in Q2 2026, giving clients and designers a formal route to validate net zero claims.

Rio Tinto has secured a US$1.175 billion financing package from four international lenders to advance construction of its Rincon lithium brine project in Argentina’s Salta Province. The package combines loans from the International Finance Corporation, IDB Invest, Export Finance Australia and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, signalling strong multilateral backing for large-scale lithium chemicals capacity. For project engineers and contractors, the funding de-risks early works, evaporation pond construction and processing plant delivery, and locks in capital for associated power, water and access infrastructure in the high-altitude Puna.

Liebherr Chile has commissioned two PR 776 G8 mining dozers fitted with the LiReCon teleoperation system for SQM at the Nueva Victoria iodine operation in northern Chile, the world’s largest iodine producer. The remotely operated dozers are being used for heavy pushing duties in iodine-bearing caliche, where early results show strong pushing power combined with improved fuel efficiency compared with SQM’s existing fleet. For mine operators, the package signals growing deployment of teleoperated dozers for high-exposure working areas and long shifts in remote desert conditions.

Nordec has agreed with Gruvaktiebolaget Viscaria to deliver the full processing plant structure for the restarted Viscaria copper mine in Kiruna, Sweden, covering groundworks, foundations, structural steel and concrete framing, and the building envelope. The contract places Nordec in charge of integrating civil works with the process plant layout, a critical interface for heavy equipment loads, vibration control and serviceability in Arctic conditions. For engineers, early coordination of foundations and steelwork with crusher, mill and materials-handling loads will be central to programme and cost control.

Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) needs tighter alignment with national and local growth strategies and clearer joint working between Whitehall and northern authorities if it is to realise its promised economic uplift, the National Audit Office has warned. The watchdog questions current governance and delivery arrangements for the multi‑billion‑pound rail upgrade, which spans key city pairs across the North and interfaces with existing main lines and urban transport plans. For engineers, the warning signals potential uncertainty around phasing, scope definition and integration with local rail and station redevelopment schemes.

An independent panel has allowed five objecting water companies to recover only 17% of the additional revenue they sought from customers following challenges to Ofwat’s 2025–30 price control. The ruling materially constrains bill-funded capital programmes for network renewal, treatment works upgrades and resilience schemes, potentially forcing rephasing or downsizing of major pipeline, storage and wastewater projects. Contractors and consultants can expect tighter cost scrutiny, value engineering pressure and possible deferral of non-regulatory enhancement works across the AMP8 period.

Hydrogen has been used by Heidelberg Materials UK to decarbonise asphalt production on an industrial scale for the first time in the UK, replacing conventional fossil fuel combustion in the drying and heating phase of the mixing process. The trial, conducted in a full-scale asphalt plant rather than a laboratory rig, demonstrates that hydrogen burners can maintain production temperatures and binder performance within standard specification limits. For pavement designers and contractors, this signals emerging scope to cut Scope 1 emissions from asphalt plants without changing mix designs or laying procedures.

National Highways has completed a major restoration of the 19th-century Riddings Viaduct, stabilising the disused masonry structure to secure its long-term integrity while retaining key heritage features such as its original brick and stone detailing. Works focused on structural repairs to the arches and piers, targeted masonry repointing and waterproofing to reduce water ingress, and strengthening of the deck to manage future loading and environmental deterioration. The project provides a reference for balancing conservation requirements with modern structural safety interventions on ageing rail viaducts.

Chile’s new president José Antonio Kast has merged the Mining and Economy ministries under agronomist Daniel Mas, prompting concern from industry groups that a sector generating 11–12% of GDP is losing technical focus just as projects face “cursed” permitting processes requiring 500+ approvals. Copper output fell 2% in 2025 and Cochilco now sees production peaking mid-decade before sliding towards about 4.4 Mt by 2034 unless stalled projects advance. At the same time, Chile is pushing a 14‑mineral critical strategy and new lithium JVs such as Codelco–SQM’s Nova Andino Litio and Codelco–Rio Tinto at Maricunga amid tighter state control and volatile copper prices around $13,098/t.

Resource nationalism and security stockpiles are reshaping metals markets, with Indonesia capping 2025 nickel ore output at about 200 million tonnes and the US launching Project Vault, a US$12 billion critical minerals stockpiling programme, while Canada commits C$2.5 billion under a Defence Production Act-style framework. China still refines roughly 60% of global lithium and cobalt and produces about 69% of rare earths and 83% of tungsten, pushing buyers to prioritise NATO alignment, energy reliability and governance over pure cost. Canada’s advantage in stability, tax incentives such as the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit (to March 2027) and deep mining finance is narrowing unless operators accelerate electrification, automation and digital operations.

EACON is adding 12 more RTE136 battery-electric autonomous haul trucks to China Baowu Steel Group’s Taihe iron ore mine, expanding what it describes as a zero-emission AHS deployment in a metallic ore operation. The new trucks integrate with EACON’s existing autonomous haulage system, using high-precision positioning and fleet management to coordinate fully electric haulage on established iron ore routes. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the scale-up signals growing requirements for pit power distribution, fast-charging infrastructure, and traffic control tailored to BEV-AHS fleets.