Geomechanics.io

Macmahon Holdings has executed a three-year, A$792 million contract to continue open cut mining services at QCoal’s Byerwen coking coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. The scope covers load-and-haul operations and crusher feed across the existing pits, extending Macmahon’s current role on site beyond the initial Notice of Award announced to the ASX on 10 April 2025. For mine planners and contractors, the deal signals sustained large-scale truck–shovel and processing interface work at one of the region’s key hard coking coal producers.

Perkins Engines Company Ltd has appointed Lubumbashi-based Katanga Engineering SAS as an authorised Perkins distributor in the Democratic Republic of Congo, effective 1 January 2026. The deal targets support for high-hour diesel engines on mining haul trucks, gensets and auxiliary plant across copper and cobalt operations in Katanga and other provinces, leveraging Katanga Engineering’s existing field service teams and parts logistics. For mine operators, the move should shorten engine overhaul lead times and improve availability of OEM spares and diagnostics within the DRC rather than relying on cross-border support.

Hypex Bio has signed a long-term group agreement for Franzefoss Minerals AS to adopt its hydrogen peroxide-based explosive solutions across multiple quarry and limestone operations in Norway. The emulsion system replaces conventional ANFO and nitrate-based products, aiming to cut CO₂ and NOx emissions at the blast face and reduce residual nitrates in groundwater around benches and pit walls. For drill-and-blast engineers, the shift may require recalibrating charge design, sleep times, and initiation sequences to match the different energy profile and gas volumes of peroxide-based formulations.

FUCHS Lubricants has launched RENOLIN XTREME TEMP 46, a high-performance hydraulic oil formulated with next-generation API Group III base oils and premium additive packages for hard-rock mining and heavy-duty earthmoving fleets. The fluid is designed to maintain viscosity and film strength across wide temperature ranges, targeting reduced component wear, longer drain intervals and lower unplanned downtime on high-pressure systems such as shovels, loaders and haul trucks. FUCHS also claims measurable gains in fuel economy and overall hydraulic efficiency, supporting lower operating costs per tonne moved.

Midlands crane hire specialist Dewsbury & Proud has taken delivery of a 90‑tonne Liebherr LTM 1090‑4.2 all‑terrain crane, the first of a six‑unit order that also includes two LTM 1040‑2.1, two 60‑tonne LTM 1060‑3.1 and a five‑axle LTM 1150‑5.4 for delivery through 2026–27. The four‑axle LTM 1090‑4.2 carries a 60 m main boom plus 9.5–16 m double swingaway fly jib, giving 76 m hook height and 62 m radius, and can road with its full 22.5‑tonne counterweight under STGO rules. The investment follows Dewsbury & Proud’s October acquisition of Ellis Crane Hire, extending coverage into Gloucestershire and boosting heavy lift capacity for regional civils and industrial projects.

A 184-panel rooftop solar array on York Minster has generated over 42,000kWh in six months, meeting more than 80% of the cathedral’s peak demand, saving nearly £20,000 in electricity costs and offsetting eight tonnes of CO₂. Specialist installer Associated Clean Technologies used SolarEdge DC-Optimised Inverters with S‑Series Power Optimizers so each module operates independently around shading from pinnacles and towers. Fire risk on the historic structure is managed via SafeDC rapid DC voltage reduction, Sense Connect hotspot detection and a Firefighter Gateway linked to the Minster’s alarm system for full-array shutdown.

Leyton Orient Football Club has appointed stadium specialist Populous, designer of Wembley, Emirates Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, to lead planning and design of a new ground and multi-sport campus in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The scheme will accommodate Leyton Orient’s men’s and women’s teams plus a London American Football side in the European Football Alliance, with integrated retail, hospitality and leisure space to support year-round operation. Populous will develop a mixed-use, digitally enabled venue, with supporter and community consultations shaping emerging designs over the coming months.

One in three Scottish plumbing firms plans to stop taking apprentices over the next three years, with a SNIPEF survey citing limited funding support (67%), high wage costs (65%) and supervision costs (47%) as key barriers. SNIPEF’s Apprenticeships Under Pressure report warns this could leave Scotland short of plumbing and heating skills needed for public safety and building decarbonisation work. The move contrasts with England’s new £725m package for 50,000 extra apprenticeships and removal of the 5% co-investment for SMEs training under‑25s.

A newly built breeze block retaining wall collapsed into a deep excavation on Old Coast Guard’s Road, Poole, crushing 69-year-old steel-fixer Patrick Grant and prompting a £100,000 fine for principal contractor Matrod Frampton Limited. HSE found the wall had been backfilled before the mortar had set, there was no temporary works design for the wall or other structures, and no temporary works co-ordinator or supervisor had been appointed despite a safety report warning eight days earlier. Rescue was further delayed by reliance on an unstable ladder and the absence of an excavation emergency plan.

Government proposals to revise the National Planning Policy Framework include a presumption in favour of housing near railway stations, support for high-rise residential blocks in urban areas, and widening the Building Safety Levy exemption from schemes of 10 homes to 50 homes (or from 30 to 120 student bed spaces). Smaller sites would be exempt from biodiversity net gain rules, and “swift bricks” for nesting swifts are set to be embedded in policy. The 123‑page consultation, posing 225 questions and running to 10 March 2026, keeps national policy non-statutory, prompting mixed views on planning certainty.

South32 will place its Mozal aluminium smelter in Mozambique into care and maintenance from about March 2026, citing sustained low aluminium prices and high energy costs. The 580,000‑tonne‑per‑year smelter, which uses imported alumina and relies heavily on power from the 2,075MW Cahora Bassa hydro scheme, will wind down operations over the next two years while South32 reviews long‑term options. The move affects a major regional offtaker of bauxite and alumina logistics, and contractors tied to potline maintenance, anode supply and port handling at Maputo.

A more than 90 per cent increase in recoverable coal reserves at the Blackwater mine in Queensland has significantly extended Whitehaven Coal’s production horizon following its acquisition of the asset from BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and Mitsubishi Development. The enlarged JORC-compliant reserve base at this long-life open-cut operation, which feeds the Blackwater coal handling and preparation plant and uses rail links to the Port of Gladstone, gives Whitehaven greater flexibility in mine planning, strip sequencing and capital allocation across its metallurgical coal portfolio.

Pilbara Minerals is ramping up its P1000 expansion at the Pilgangoora lithium operation, targeting 1Mtpa spodumene concentrate capacity from the current P680 base while integrating a six‑megawatt solar farm into site power. Chief executive Dale Henderson details staged debottlenecking of crushing and processing circuits and incremental upgrades to tailings and water management to support higher throughput. For engineers, the project signals continued demand for pit development, haul road upgrades and process plant optimisation in the Pilbara hard‑rock lithium sector.

Major iron ore developments in regions outside Western Australia, including South Australia’s Braemar province and Queensland’s emerging magnetite hubs, are positioning themselves to supply higher-grade feedstock for green iron and direct reduced iron (DRI) routes. Projects targeting >67% Fe magnetite concentrates and low-impurity ores are being designed around renewable power, proximity to existing rail and deepwater ports, and potential hydrogen-based processing. For geotechnical and civil teams, the shift implies more complex tailings and water management for fine-grained magnetite, plus new infrastructure corridors in previously undeveloped terrains.

Almonty Industries has begun active mining at the Sangdong tungsten mine in Gangwon, South Korea, with the first truckload of ore delivered and crushing, milling and flotation circuits already operating ahead of commercial production. The deposit holds proven and probable reserves of 7.9 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.47% WO₃, equating to 3.7 million contained metric ton units, making it one of the world’s largest and highest-grade tungsten resources. Sangdong is positioned as a core non-Chinese supply source for defence, semiconductor, AI hardware and aerospace sectors, targeting diversification from China’s >80% share of the tungsten supply chain.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG and The Utility Expo have formed a multi-year partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to deliver construction-specific mental health education across North American worksites. The programme will embed AFSP’s evidence-based training modules on suicide risk, peer intervention and crisis response into toolbox talks, supervisor training and safety briefings. For contractors and asset owners, this signals growing expectation that mental health risk will be managed with the same structure and documentation as physical site safety.

Arup spent almost £20M on redundancies in the year to 31 March 2025 while reporting a marginal fall in operating profit, signalling a significant internal restructuring. The consultancy is reallocating resources towards higher‑growth sectors, likely favouring complex infrastructure, energy transition and advanced buildings work over lower‑margin, commoditised design services. Contractors and clients can expect leaner Arup teams, more selective bidding and a stronger focus on technically demanding, higher‑fee geotechnical and civil engineering commissions.

HS2 contractors have completed the final slide of a 4,600t viaduct section across the M6, moving the structure into position without a full carriageway closure in what they describe as a UK first. The operation used incremental launching techniques to shift the preassembled deck over live traffic, relying on carefully sequenced night-time lane restrictions instead of total shutdowns. For future motorway-rail interfaces, the method signals wider scope to build major spans offline and slide them into place, cutting possession times and temporary works demands.

Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O’Rourke have pleaded not guilty to two alleged health and safety offences at EDF’s Hinkley Point C nuclear construction site, one involving a worker fatality. The cases, brought by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, relate to incidents during major civil works on the reactor complex, where heavy lifting operations, deep excavations and complex temporary works demand stringent CDM and nuclear site licence compliance. Contractors across UK megaprojects will be watching closely for any precedent on corporate liability for site safety management.

MMD Australia (West) Pty Ltd has secured a contract to supply an MMD 625 Primary Sizer and an MMD 500 Secondary Sizer to Element 25’s Butcherbird Expansion (BBX) project in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The sizers will be integrated into the Butcherbird Manganese Mine’s upgraded processing circuit to handle higher throughputs as Element 25 ramps up manganese output. For plant and materials engineers, the move signals a shift towards higher-capacity in-pit or plant-based sizing solutions tailored to Pilbara ore characteristics and remote operations.

Artemis Gold has approved an expanded Phase 2 (EP2) development for its Blackwater gold mine in central British Columbia, increasing planned processing plant capacity beyond the 8 Mt/y targeted in the Phase 1A project now under construction. Phase 1A is scheduled to reach the 8 Mt/y run rate before the end of 2026, with EP2 adding a substantial incremental throughput above this baseline. The decision signals earlier scaling of comminution, materials handling and tailings infrastructure, with implications for mine scheduling, power demand and long-lead process equipment procurement.

Canada has approved the $53 billion merger of Anglo American and Teck Resources, clearing a deal that would create Anglo Teck with just under 5% of global copper supply and a combined market value of about $60 billion. Ottawa’s sign-off hinges on legally binding undertakings, including moving the group’s headquarters to Vancouver, investing at least C$4.5 billion in Canada over five years and C$10 billion over 15 years, plus C$100 million for a global Institute for Critical Minerals Research and Innovation and mining skills training. The transaction, the sector’s second-largest after Glencore–Xstrata, still faces antitrust reviews in Europe, the US, Chile, China, Japan and South Korea.

Ecuador’s state miner Enami plans a 2026 international tender for the $3 billion Llurimagua copper-molybdenum project in Imbabura, designed for roughly 210,000 tpa of copper over 27 years from a 982-million-tonne resource on a 4,829-hectare concession. The move follows Codelco’s exit and an ICC arbitration that awarded the Chilean company $25.3 million, far below the more than $567 million in damages it sought. Llurimagua must still overcome a revoked 2014 environmental licence and local opposition, even as Chinese groups CMOC and Jiangxi Copper and Australia’s Fortescue step up Andean copper acquisitions.

Seabridge Gold will spin out its 100%-owned Courageous Lake project in Canada’s Northwest Territories into a new listed vehicle, Valor Gold, distributing shares to existing Seabridge investors. Courageous Lake hosts 11 million oz measured and indicated (145.2 Mt at 2.36 g/t) plus 3.3 million oz inferred (40.6 Mt at 2.52 g/t), including 2.8 million oz of open-pittable proven and probable reserves at 2.6 g/t, with a February 2024 PFS outlining 201,000 oz/year over 12.6 years. At US$1,850/oz gold the PFS gives an after-tax NPV5 of US$523 million and 20.6% IRR, with further upside from a PEA-stage pit expansion and the high-grade Walsh Lake satellite (4.13 Mt at 4.18 g/t) on a largely unexplored ~500 km² land package.