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US Representative John Moolenaar is pressing the State Department over what he calls “well-documented” links between Ivanhoe Atlantic and Chinese state-owned enterprises, citing CITIC and Zijin Mining’s combined 39.5% stake in related company Ivanhoe Mines as of 2020 and a $1.8 billion Ivanhoe Mines–Liberia rail rehabilitation deal for Guinean iron ore. Ivanhoe Atlantic insists it is a separate entity from Ivanhoe Mines and says its Guinea iron ore project will supply only US and allied markets, avoiding China’s Trans-Guinean Railway. The dispute signals closer US scrutiny of indirect Chinese stakes in African iron ore and copper logistics.

BRICS central banks have lifted gold’s share of their reserves by 102% since 2020, combining aggressive bullion purchases with price gains as they diversify away from US‑dollar‑denominated assets. Over the same period, Western countries recorded only a 12% rise in gold holdings, largely from price appreciation rather than additional tonnes. The deepening reserve split signals sustained official‑sector demand that will influence long‑term mine project pipelines, reserve replacement strategies and hedging decisions across gold producers.

USA Rare Earth will accelerate commercial production at its Round Top heavy rare earths deposit in Texas to late 2028, two years earlier than planned, after solvent-extraction pilot work enabled its Hydromet demonstration plant in Colorado to start five SX circuits running 2,000–4,000 hours from early 2026. The circuits will focus on dysprosium and terbium while also extracting hafnium and zirconium, feeding into a mine-to-magnet chain that includes a 310,000-square-foot Stillwater, Oklahoma plant targeting nearly 5,000 tonnes of magnets per year from 2026. Shares fell up to 4.3% to $16.56 despite the accelerated schedule.

Silver prices have broken above $60/oz for the first time, with Sprott’s Paul Wong attributing the surge to a shrinking free-trading inventory and a forecast 125 million oz supply deficit in 2025, extending a cumulative shortfall to nearly 800 million oz since 2021. London vault stocks have fallen sharply from their 2021 peak, while global ETF holdings sit around 830 million oz versus 1 billion oz in 2021, leaving limited buffer if investment demand rebounds. Additional pressure comes from China’s strict silver export controls starting in 2026 and silver’s recent addition to the USGS critical minerals list.

Panama will channel $29 million in royalties from the sale of 122,000 tonnes of copper concentrate stockpiled at First Quantum’s idled Cobre Panama mine into public works, including health centre upgrades, school expansions, road repairs and water and power systems. Under the Safe Preservation and Management Plan, First Quantum must continue paying about $15 million a month in care-and-maintenance costs, which have reached roughly $360 million since the November 2023 shutdown. A final audit due by end-February will inform decisions on restarting the 100 Mt/y nameplate operation, which produced 350,000 tonnes of copper in 2022.

Argentina’s Mendoza province has approved the PSJ Cobre Mendocino project, a $559 million joint venture between Zonda Metals and Alberdi Energy, marking its first large-scale mine in over 20 years after Senate endorsement of the environmental impact statement. The Uspallata operation is planned for 40,000 tonnes per year of copper concentrate over a 16-year mine life, using conventional flotation, with construction scheduled for 18–24 months and an estimated 3,900 construction and 2,400 operating jobs. The project now moves into detailed engineering, feasibility, cost and financing analysis before a construction decision.

Copper prices rebounded to $11,556.50/t on the LME, close to this week’s record $11,771/t, as RBC Capital Markets warned that mine disruptions and weak project pipelines mean higher prices are needed to unlock new supply. Analysts link the tight outlook to AI-driven data centre build-out, EV expansion and expectations of a US copper tariff, all adding to structural demand. The move follows a brief 1.3% pullback after Chinese data showed producer prices falling for a 38th consecutive month ahead of a key US rate decision.

Perpetua Resources has partnered with Idaho National Laboratory, under Battelle Energy Alliance, to host, commission and operate a flexible, modular pilot plant to process Stibnite project ore into military‑specification antimony trisulphide concentrate for munitions and advanced defence systems. The pilot forms part of a US Army Defence Ordnance Technology Consortium agreement, with Perpetua now holding up to US$22.4 million in DOTC funding to advance domestic critical mineral processing. It runs alongside early works on the US$1.3 billion Stibnite gold‑antimony mine in central Idaho, aimed at a fully domestic “ground‑to‑round” supply chain.

Thiess has secured a five-year alliance agreement with Harmony to deliver bulk earthworks, workshop construction and mining services at the greenfield Eva Copper Mine Project in the Cloncurry region of Queensland, with the mining scope valued at about A$700 million. The contract covers establishment of mine support infrastructure and initial material movement, positioning Thiess to manage both early-stage civil works and ongoing production mining. For geotechnical and civil teams, the deal signals imminent large-scale earthworks and workshop foundation construction on a previously undeveloped copper site.

Allison Transmission is expanding its Indian mining presence with automatic transmissions deployed on Shar Projects’ new XCMG haul truck fleet, supporting the government’s Make in India and industrial modernisation programmes. The move extends Allison’s propulsion solutions from defence and on‑highway commercial vehicles into heavy mining applications, pairing its fully automatic gearboxes with XCMG’s large-capacity trucks for overburden and ore haulage. For mine operators, the combination targets smoother torque delivery, reduced driveline shock and lower operator fatigue compared with manual or automated manual transmissions.

Wärtsilä will supply engines, controls and auxiliary systems for a new 120 MW flexible engine power plant in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, to expand power for Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM), owned by Northern Star Resources. The contract, placed by independent power producer Zenith Energy Operations, adds dedicated generation capacity for one of Australia’s largest open-pit gold operations. For mine operators, the project signals continued reliance on high-availability, engine-based thermal power in remote gold districts, complementing but not replacing on-site renewables and storage.

Metso has opened a new engineering hub in Pittsburgh, USA, focused on bulk material handling and port solutions to support mines and terminals across North America. The office will concentrate expertise in conveyors, shiploaders, stacker-reclaimers and related wear parts and services, integrating with Metso’s existing grinding, pyro and smelting service lines led by Senior Vice President Jonathan Allen. Closer regional design and troubleshooting support should shorten turnaround for upgrades to high-capacity loading systems and brownfield materials handling retrofits.

Iron Mine Contracting has secured a 39‑month mining services contract with Covalent Lithium to deliver drill, blast, load and haul, and run‑of‑mine management at the Mt Holland hard‑rock lithium operation in Western Australia’s Goldfields. The scope covers full open‑pit production support for Covalent’s Mt Holland mine and concentrator, which will feed spodumene concentrate to the company’s Kwinana Refinery now in commissioning. The deal signals long‑term third‑party involvement in both production drilling and material movement at one of Western Australia’s key lithium projects.

BHP has agreed a US$2 billion deal with Global Infrastructure Partners, now part of BlackRock, to restructure its 85% share of the Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) inland power network in the Pilbara via a dedicated trust. The transaction separates power infrastructure ownership from mining operations across WAIO’s four main joint ventures, signalling a shift towards third‑party capital for high‑voltage transmission and generation assets. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the move points to longer‑term, utility‑style management of load growth, decarbonisation projects and network reliability.

Perpetua Resources has signed an agreement with Idaho National Laboratory, operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, to host, commission and run a flexible, modular pilot plant to recover critical and defence-related minerals, including antimony, from Perpetua’s orebodies. The pilot is expected to test flowsheets for selective antimony recovery alongside other strategic elements, using containerised process modules that can be reconfigured for different ore types and chemistries. Outcomes will inform full‑scale processing design for the Stibnite Gold Project and potential US domestic supply chains for military‑grade antimony products.

Aurecon has been appointed Engineering Program Partner for Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s Sustaining Capital teams in Western Australia from October 2025 to October 2028, extending its long-running role on Pilbara brownfield projects. The mandate covers multi‑disciplinary engineering for fixed plant, rail and port assets across RTIO’s iron ore network, including structural upgrades, materials handling improvements and life‑extension works on existing processing infrastructure. For geotechnical and civil teams, the partnership signals continued demand for staged upgrades, brownfield tie‑ins and asset integrity assessments rather than major greenfield expansions.

Atlas Copco’s X-Air 410-12 PACE portable compressor, distributed by CEA, targets road and infrastructure works with a single unit delivering variable pressure via its PACE (Pressure Adjusted through Cognitive Electronics) control system. The machine is fitted with a Stage IIIA Caterpillar engine to cut fuel consumption and operating costs while maintaining high free air delivery for applications such as pavement breaking, shotcreting and sandblasting. For contractors, the key gain is higher utilisation from one compressor across multiple pressure/flow regimes instead of running several fixed-pressure units.

New research on Australian expansive clays warns that more frequent intense rainfall and drought cycles are accelerating differential movement and cracking in lightweight buildings, pavements and transport corridors founded on shrink–swell soils. The work points to heave and settlement driven by deep moisture fluctuations, with particular concern for lightly loaded slabs, shallow footings and low-volume roads where historical climate data underestimates design suction changes. Engineers are urged to revisit site classification, footing depth, drainage and moisture barriers, and to integrate updated climate projections into geotechnical design for new and existing assets.

Road maintenance planning in the City of Bendigo has been overhauled using GBM Konect integrated directly with the council’s asset management system, linking live field data from graders, patching trucks and concreting crews to central asset records. Crews now capture condition data, photos and completed works on mobile devices in real time, feeding GIS-based maps that prioritise pavement interventions and reduce duplicated site visits. For contractors and councils, the approach shows how tighter integration between field data capture and asset registers can sharpen programming of resurfacing and rehabilitation works.

Technicians suspended on ropes have completed nine consecutive nights of at-height inspections on Liverpool’s 138m St Johns Beacon, requiring night-time closure of surrounding city centre streets. Rope access teams inspected exposed concrete and structural steelwork on the tower’s shaft and viewing pod, carrying out non-destructive testing to assess material condition and any localised deterioration. Findings will inform future maintenance and potential strengthening strategies for the 1960s structure, where access constraints make rope techniques more practical than large temporary scaffolds or crane platforms.

Mineral Resources has begun full operations at its Onslow Iron port facilities at the Port of Ashburton, using purpose-built transhippers to move ore from a 220,000t enclosed storage facility to deep-water capesize vessels offshore. The system is designed for low-dust handling, with covered conveyors and a fully enclosed shiploader feeding 20,000t transhippers that shuttle to a 25m-deep anchorage. For port, civil and materials engineers, the project showcases large-scale, low-footprint iron ore export using off‑shore loading rather than traditional long trestle wharves.

Liontown Resources has signed a new spodumene concentrate offtake agreement with Chinese cathode producer Canmax Technologies, shortly after running its first online auction for product from the 3Mtpa Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia. The deal adds a major long-term buyer alongside existing contracts with Tesla and LG Energy Solution, diversifying sales away from purely fixed-price arrangements. For miners, the move signals growing use of auction platforms and mixed pricing structures to manage spodumene price volatility and counterparty risk.

Wildcat Resources has extended its Bolt Cutter Central lithium discovery in Western Australia, with new drilling indicating a larger mineralised system than initially defined. Recent reverse circulation and diamond holes have expanded the strike and depth continuity of spodumene-bearing pegmatites, suggesting potential to grow the existing resource footprint. For mine planners and geotechs, the results point to a more substantial open-pit or potential underground scenario, with further infill and step-out drilling likely to refine geometry, grade distribution and pit shell economics.

Thiess has secured a $700 million alliance agreement with Harmony Gold Mining to deliver multiple work packages for the Eva copper project in north-west Queensland. The contract covers mine development and operations support at the planned open-pit operation, including drill-and-blast, load-and-haul, and associated mining services over a multi-year term. The deal signals continued contractor-led development of large-scale copper assets in the Mount Isa–Cloncurry district, with Thiess likely to deploy its existing large truck–shovel fleet and technical services teams already active in the region.