Geomechanics.io

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is assessing options for a new floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and a strategic geological gas storage facility to bolster UK gas resilience. An FSRU would provide ship-based LNG storage and regasification at an import terminal, while geological storage would likely use depleted gas fields or salt caverns for high-volume, seasonal buffering. The work signals potential demand for large-diameter offshore pipelines, high-pressure injection wells and long-term integrity management of underground gas containment.

Procurement for an engineering partner to deliver the UK’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (Step) fusion power plant at West Burton, Nottinghamshire, will restart in 1–2 years after the initial tender process collapsed, while selection of a construction partner is said to be close. The Step project, led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority and targeting a grid-connected prototype fusion plant, will demand complex nuclear-grade civil works, deep excavations and heavy-shielded structures around the spherical tokamak. Engineers can expect future tenders to emphasise constructability under stringent nuclear safety, thermal loading and electromagnetic compatibility constraints.

Sandfire’s MATSA complex in Huelva, south‑western Spain, runs a 4.7 Mt/y central processing plant fed by three underground polymetallic mines: Aguas Teñidas, Magdalena and Sotiel. The operation in the Iberian Pyrite Belt is deploying new technology across this hub‑and‑spoke layout, integrating underground production with the concentrator to optimise ore flow and metal recovery. For geotechnical and mining teams, the scale and multi‑mine feed emphasise ground control, backfill management and precise grade control to keep the plant at nameplate capacity.

Fluor Corporation has secured the engineering, procurement and integrated construction management (EPCM) contract for Teck Resources’ Highland Valley Copper Mine Life Extension (HVC MLE) project near Logan Lake, British Columbia. The undisclosed-value award, booked in Fluor’s third-quarter results, covers brownfield works to sustain one of Canada’s largest open-pit copper-molybdenum operations beyond its current mine plan. Geotechnical and civil scopes are expected to centre on pit pushbacks, tailings and water management upgrades, and plant debottlenecking to support extended ore throughput.

Boart Longyear has launched the Stingray™ DHM/full face diamond bit, a US‑designed bit engineered specifically for downhole motor and full-face drilling in exploration applications. The bit uses a new crown geometry combined with Boart Longyear’s durable diamond technology to increase penetration rates compared with conventional diamond bits. For drill contractors, the design targets faster advance per hour and reduced bit trips, particularly in hard, abrasive ground where DHM systems are already favoured for directional control and high rotary speeds.

Madison Technologies is deploying industrial-grade networking to keep remote, renewable microgrids online at Australian mine sites exposed to heat, dust and vibration that routinely defeat standard IT hardware. Its solutions combine hardened Ethernet switches, fibre backbones and wireless links to connect pit operations, processing plants and accommodation villages into a single operational technology network. For engineers, the focus is on deterministic communications for SCADA, power management and condition monitoring, with designs that tolerate brownouts, electrical noise and long cable runs typical of large open-cut operations.

BHP has entered a $US2 billion ($A3 billion) agreement with Global Infrastructure Partners, part of BlackRock, to inject new capital into its Pilbara iron ore operations centred on Port Hedland. The deal targets brownfield infrastructure such as export terminals, rail links and associated materials handling assets that move more than 280 million tonnes per annum of iron ore from inland mines to deepwater berths. For geotechnical and civil contractors, the structure signals sustained demand for port dredging, rail formation upgrades and heavy-duty pavement and foundation works in the Pilbara.

Komatsu has launched the PC950-11 hydraulic excavator for large-scale earthmoving, pairing a high-capacity front shovel with a Tier 4 Final/Stage V-compliant engine to cut fuel burn against previous PC-series models. The machine targets ultra-class truck loading with an operating weight in the 90–100-tonne class and a bucket size suited to 40–65-tonne haul trucks, aiming to shorten cycle times on bulk overburden and ore movement. Komatsu is also pushing operator-focused design, with upgraded cab ergonomics, digital monitoring and optimised hydraulic controls for smoother, more precise digging.

Lundin Gold expects Fruta del Norte in southeast Ecuador to hold steady at 475,000–525,000 oz. gold per year from 2026–2028 at an average head grade of 8.3 g/t, while cash costs rise to $900–$960/oz and AISC to $1,110–$1,170/oz on a $4,000/oz gold price assumption. The underground mine, currently permitted for 5,500 t/d, will see decisions in 2026 on developing the South zone and a potential throughput expansion that could alter 2028 output. A record US$85 million exploration budget will fund 133,000 m of drilling, including 100,000 m of near-mine work targeting high-grade epithermal systems and a porphyry corridor.

Silver prices jumped 3.6% on Tuesday to a record $60.46/oz, extending a two‑month rally that has doubled the metal’s value this year and outpaced gold’s 60% gain. The move is driven by a lingering supply squeeze following an October London market crunch, with Chinese inventories at their lowest in a decade and thin holiday liquidity in London’s OTC trade amplifying volatility. Traders are also pricing in a near‑certain 25 bp US Federal Reserve rate cut, boosting safe‑haven demand and complicating cost forecasts for silver‑exposed projects.

Greenland has issued a 30-year exploitation licence for GreenRoc Mining’s Amitsoq graphite project in the Nanortalik region, its third mining permit this year, supporting a policy push for “responsible” investment under minister Naaja Nathanielsen. Amitsoq hosts a JORC resource of 23 million tonnes at 20.41% graphitic carbon (4.71 million tonnes contained), with plans to fast-track an 80,000 t/y graphite concentrate operation on the site of a historic open-cut mine last worked in 1922. The EU has granted the project “strategic” status and Denmark’s export credit agency has provided a €5.2 million loan, signalling strong European backing for this high-grade Arctic deposit.

Rio2 is buying a 99.1% interest in Peru’s Condestable underground copper mine from Southern Peaks Mining for a total transaction value of $241 million, including $180 million upfront and assumption of $24 million debt, funded via $65 million vendor debt and an upsized $120 million equity raise at C$2.22 per receipt. Condestable, 90 km south of Lima, has an 8,400 tpd plant producing clean concentrate with scope to lift underground capacity to 12,000 tpd and add open pits, targeting about 27,000 tpa copper-equivalent and $110–145 million annual cash flow over five years. Rio2 plans to use this cash to expand Condestable and its Fenix Gold project in Chile, with combined output expected at 180,000 oz gold-equivalent per year and a potential pathway to 380,000 oz with a Phase 2 expansion at Fenix.

Anglo American and Teck shareholders have approved a nil‑premium, all‑stock US$53 billion merger that will create “Anglo Teck”, a Canada‑headquartered group with more than 70% revenue exposure to copper. Analysts estimate combining Anglo’s Collahuasi operation with Teck’s Quebrada Blanca in Chile could deliver over 1 million tonnes of copper per year by the early 2030s, potentially overtaking BHP’s Escondida. The deal now hinges on multi‑jurisdictional regulatory approvals, including in Canada, following BHP’s short‑lived takeover approach to Anglo last month.

Tronox Holdings’ share price jumped over 32% in New York after the US Export-Import Bank and Export Finance Australia issued coordinated support letters for up to $600 million in financing. The funding would back mine extensions, infrastructure and a new cracking and leaching facility in Western Australia designed to produce mixed rare earth carbonate from monazite-bearing tailings, capturing “multiples more value” from its existing mineral sands operations. The move sits within the US-Australia Critical Minerals Framework and EFA’s $4 billion Critical Mineral Facility mandate.

Scania and LKAB have deployed a new fully electric 8×4 heavy tipper with two steerable front axles into underground haulage at LKAB’s Malmberget iron ore mine in northern Sweden, the first truck of this configuration in Scania’s global fleet. The unit, nicknamed “Sleipner”, is being trialled in production conditions to handle heavy ore and waste movements on ramp and level haul routes traditionally served by diesel trucks. The collaboration is intended to validate battery-electric performance, charging logistics and driveline durability in deep, confined mining environments.

Aurora Innovation has signed a commercial deal with Detmar Logistics to run autonomous haulage of frac sand proppants 24/7 for a major multinational oil and gas operator in the US shale sector. Aurora’s Level 4 self-driving freight platform will be integrated into Detmar’s existing dry bulk truck fleet, targeting continuous shuttle runs between sand mines, transload terminals and well pads. For mine and wellsite operators, the move signals accelerating deployment of autonomy on repetitive, high-mileage proppant corridors where driver availability and cycle-time variability are chronic constraints.

Mineral Resources has broken ground on the Lamb Creek open pit iron ore project in the Pilbara, designed for 7.5 Mtpa and targeting first ore in Q4 FY26, 50 km from its existing Iron Valley operation. The project, underpinned by Pilbara hub resources of 161 Mt at 57.0% Fe and reserves of 51 Mt at 57.5% Fe, is expected to extend the hub’s production profile by more than five years with a lower cost base. Wonmunna will be wound down as all staff transfer to Lamb Creek, with in-house teams building a 16 km haul road, crushing plant and associated infrastructure to feed blended product to Utah Point at Port Hedland.

Liontown Limited has signed a 150,000 wmtpa offtake agreement for 2027–28 spodumene concentrate supply from its Kathleen Valley project in Western Australia with Canmax Technologies, with pricing tied to global spodumene concentrate indices. The deal follows Liontown’s first digitalised spodumene auction on 19 November, which drew more than 50 qualified buyers from nine countries and cleared SC6.0-equivalent product at $1892/dmt (US$1254/dmt). Liontown, which already has offtakes with LG Energy Solution, Tesla and Ford, saw its share price jump nearly 20% over the weekend.

A contractor has died following an underground incident on 5 December at Agnico Eagle’s Fosterville gold mine in Victoria, prompting a joint investigation with local authorities into the cause. The fatality occurred during underground operations, leading to a temporary suspension of mining activities while emergency services responded and the site was made safe. Production is expected to restart today, with Agnico Eagle coordinating with the contractor to provide support to the worker’s family.

Timber imports into the UK reached 7.01m m³ in January–September 2025, 2.1% below 2024, with Q3 volumes only 0.2% down year-on-year as contractors restocked after strong Q2 construction activity. Softwood volumes fell nearly 3% but values rose 9% on a 12% price increase, while imported MDF slumped 25%, offset by gains in hardwood, particleboard, OSB, hardwood and softwood plywood, and engineered wood, including Finnish LVL up about 14% and still 83% of the UK market. Supply shifted away from Sweden, Germany and Ireland towards Latvia and Finland, and NSD forecasts softwood imports down 3% in 2025 before a 3.7% rebound in 2026.

Willmott Dixon has begun construction of Acre Wood Academy in Crowborough, a £15.6m, two-storey steel-frame secondary SEND school providing 60 places for 11–16-year-olds for East Sussex County Council. Procured through the Procurement Hub 2 Framework and due to complete in winter 2026, the project sits adjacent to an existing primary SEND school that must remain fully operational, imposing tight logistical and safety constraints on site access and phasing. The scheme’s design is tailored to complex pupil needs, implying specialised internal layouts, acoustic treatment and controlled circulation that will influence structural and services coordination.

A labourer working for Premier Property & Construction Limited suffered life-changing injuries after being pulled over the edge of scaffolding during an unplanned lifting operation at a Cathcart Hill refurbishment site in London on 15 April 2024, when an untested lifting accessory snagged and then released. Health & Safety Executive investigators found routine lifting was neither planned nor monitored, and untested, unsuitable lifting gear was allowed on the scaffold. Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court fined principal contractor Axis Europe Limited £640,000 and Premier Property & Construction £160,000, plus identical costs and victim surcharges.

McLaren Construction has appointed architect Lucy Craig as design director for its construction management and specialist projects division, bringing 20 years’ design and delivery experience from Mace and Laing O’Rourke, including leading technical design on 40 Leadenhall, Paddington Square and Battersea Power Station Phase 2. Her remit centres on strengthening in-house design governance and multi-disciplinary capability for complex construction management projects, where early-stage technical input and client alignment are critical. The division is currently delivering the new Cardiff Arena and the refurbishment of Birmingham’s Colmore Gate office tower.

Heidelberg Materials UK has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Worley an EPCM contract to deliver a carbon capture facility at the Padeswood cement works in north Wales, following completion of FEED and a final investment decision with the UK government in September. Using MHI’s Advanced KM CDR Process, the plant is designed to capture about 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year from the existing kiln line, with commissioning targeted for 2029. The project will enable industrial-scale production of evoZero carbon captured near-zero cement, directly affecting embodied carbon specifications for UK infrastructure and building projects.