Geomechanics.io

OCP Green Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of OCP Group, has commissioned the first phase of its renewables programme, adding 202 MWp of solar capacity now fully operational across three Moroccan sites linked to its phosphate mining operations. The utility-scale PV plants are designed to feed mine and beneficiation loads, cutting grid dependence and exposure to fuel price volatility. For mine planners and process engineers, the new capacity enables higher electrification of pit equipment, conveyors and slurry pumping, and supports future integration of large-scale storage.

Vale, Caterpillar and dealer Sotreq have agreed to expand the fleet of autonomous haul trucks at Vale’s Northern System iron ore operations in the Carajás region of Pará, Brazil, building on trials already under way with Cat Command for hauling. The deal, flagged earlier by Caterpillar Resource Industries President Denise Johnson at an Investor Day, signals a larger deployment of OEM-autonomy rather than retrofit kits in one of the world’s highest-grade iron ore districts. For mine planners, this points to increased focus on haul road design, traffic management and maintenance regimes optimised for fully autonomous Cat fleets.

Huawei is rapidly expanding mining connectivity projects in South America and Africa, deploying unified networks that integrate 4G/5G, Wi-Fi 6 and industrial optical fibre across entire mine lifecycles. Its “single network, multiple services” architecture is being used to support autonomous haulage fleets, high‑definition pit‑to‑plant video, and real‑time fleet management in remote open pits and underground operations. For engineers, the key shift is moving from fragmented, site‑by‑site comms to a converged backbone designed to carry OT traffic, safety systems and corporate IT on one managed platform.

Prolonged storms in Vietnam have triggered one of the most severe sequences of rainfall-induced hazards in decades, with extensive flooding and more than a dozen landslides reported across Lam Dong province and neighbouring highland areas. Intense, long-duration rainfall on steep, highly weathered slopes has caused rapid slope failures, debris flows and road embankment collapses, cutting key mountain highways and isolating several rural communities. Geotechnical teams now face urgent stabilisation of saturated cut slopes, clearance of landslide debris from narrow carriageways, and reassessment of drainage and slope design criteria for future extreme events.

Anglo American has withdrawn a contentious proposal to guarantee 62.5% vesting of 2024–25 share awards for executive directors tied solely to completion of its proposed $53 billion merger with Teck Resources, after opposition from investors and proxy adviser ISS. The shareholder vote on 9 December will now focus only on authorising new share issuance, with at least two-thirds approval needed from both Anglo and Teck investors. If cleared and subsequently approved by regulators, the combined group would become a top-five copper producer with about 1.35 Mt/year output and a new headquarters in Canada.

BMI, a Fitch Solutions unit, projects most mineral and metal prices will edge higher in 2026 as net‑zero demand, tight supply and an intensifying race for copper, lithium and rare earths outweigh Mainland China’s weak property sector. Industrial policy in the US and EU will focus on domestic mining/processing plus overseas offtake deals, while Beijing accelerates exploration, expands battery and rare earth capacity and uses tariffs and export controls to reinforce value‑chain dominance. Strong M&A, phased brownfield capex and tougher fiscal terms in African frontier markets will shape where mining capital goes next.

Contango Ore has agreed an all-share acquisition of Dolly Varden Silver, valuing the combined Contango Silver & Gold at about $812 million, with $100 million cash, $15 million debt and cash flow from the high‑grade Manh Choh open pit mine in Alaska (30% Contango, 70% Kinross). The deal secures Dolly Varden’s Kitsault Valley project, hosting 3.4 million indicated tonnes at 299.8 g/t Ag (32.9 Moz) plus 1.2 million inferred tonnes at 277 g/t Ag (11.4 Moz), and the Homestake Ridge deposit with 736,000 indicated tonnes at 74.8 g/t Ag and 7.02 g/t Au. Completion, targeted for late February or early March, requires two‑thirds approval from Dolly Varden shareholders and a majority from Contango holders, with a reciprocal $15 million break fee.

Drilling at Omai Gold Mines’ Wenot deposit in Guyana has defined a new high‑grade zone east of the historical pit, with hole 25ODD‑142 cutting 14.7 metres at 11.07 g/t gold from 304 metres, including 4.3 metres at 34.31 g/t, and 25ODD‑145W in Central Wenot returning 13.3 metres at 13.54 g/t from 398 metres. The 35,300 metres of 2025 diamond drilling across 79 holes suggest the central contact and quartz feldspar porphyry may dip south in the east, with implications for pit geometry and strip ratio in the upcoming PEA. Omai, already hosting 2.12 million oz indicated at 2.07 g/t and 4.38 million oz inferred at 1.95 g/t, is targeting resource growth and conversion that could support a “very robust” open pit mine plan.

Copper futures on the London Metal Exchange rose 1.3% to a fresh record of $11,771/t as US stockpiling ahead of expanded tariffs and China’s pledge to maintain a “proactive” 2026 fiscal stance tightened the supply–demand balance. Citic Securities estimates a refined copper shortfall of about 450,000 t in 2026 and says prices must average above $12,000/t to justify new mine capacity. For project developers, the 34% LME price gain this year, driven by data centres and EV demand plus mine outages, strengthens the case for advancing brownfield expansions and higher-grade projects.

Gold Royalty has agreed to buy BlackRock World Mining Trust’s royalty over BHP’s Pedra Branca copper-gold mine in Pará, Brazil, for $70 million cash, adding a 25% net smelter return on gold and 2% NSR on copper and other products across the Pedra Branca East and West deposits. The royalty generated about $7.9 million over the 12 months to 30 June, equivalent to roughly 2,800 gold-equivalent ounces at an average gold price of $2,811/oz, from ore grading 1.41–1.68% copper and 0.40–0.47 g/t gold. Gold Royalty will fully fund the deal via a $70 million bought equity financing of 17.5 million shares at $4.00, taking its portfolio to eight cash-flowing assets and over 250 royalty and streaming interests.

Aura Minerals has lifted its long-term production outlook to 600,000 oz gold-equivalent per year, driven by a new feasibility study for the Era Dorada underground project in Guatemala plus ramp-up and expansion at Borborema, Almas, Matupá and the MSG turnaround. Era Dorada, formerly Cerro Blanco, is now scoped as a 17-year underground mine producing 1.75 million oz gold-equivalent, with initial capex of $382 million, AISC of $1,178/oz and an after-tax NPV of $1.34 billion at $3,177/oz gold. The project retains existing licences and avoids the open-pit plan that previously stalled government approvals.

The US “One Big Beautiful Bill” allocates US$7.5 billion to critical minerals and is backed by a further US$1 billion in Department of Energy funding for lithium, nickel, rare earths, gallium and graphite, but the impact will hinge on directing money to mid‑chain extraction, refining and processing rather than simply expanding mining. Arizona holds 71% of US copper reserves, yet in 2024 the country consumed 52,000 tonnes of graphite while importing about 60,000 tonnes, with zero domestic production and 90% of rare earth refining controlled by China. Emerging projects such as Ucore’s rare earth facility in Louisiana, USA Rare Earth’s LCM metallisation and strip‑casting assets, and Idaho plants processing Sheep Creek ore show where funding tied to energy‑efficient refining, digital ore characterisation and circular recovery could materially de‑risk grid and storage supply chains.

Rio Tinto chief executive Simon Trott is targeting up to $15 billion (US$10 billion) in non-core asset sales and $982 million (US$650 million) in productivity gains as he refocuses the group on iron ore, copper, aluminium and lithium. Copper production guidance for 2025 has been lifted to 860–875 kt with unit costs cut to US$0.80–1.00/lb, while bauxite output is now expected to exceed the previous 69–71 Mt range. Overall production is forecast to grow 7% in 2025 and at 3% CAGR to 2030, underpinned by Oyu Tolgoi, Simandou and Arcadium ramp-ups, although IOC iron ore guidance is trimmed to 9–9.5 Mt.

Australia’s national AI plan abandons last year’s proposal for mandatory AI-specific guardrails, instead relying on existing workplace, privacy and safety laws while creating a $30 million AI Safety Institute from 2026 to monitor risks. The approach has split stakeholders, with Greens Senator David Shoebridge warning of “glib assurances”, while the Business Council’s Bran Black calls for a gap analysis before any new regulation. The Federal Government is expected to lean on mining’s AI experience in predictive maintenance, exploration analytics and automation to drive adoption in defence, education and infrastructure.

Bentry Capital has bought the 23,456 sq ft Branch Hill House in Hampstead Village for £16.4m, planning a three-year conversion of the 1901 Edwardian baroque mansion and its 1.7-acre plot into No1 Hampstead, a gated scheme of about 50 premium apartments plus a standalone townhouse. The project will demolish the 1960s council-built wing and construct a new-build extension matching the original Sandringham-style façade, restoring period features throughout. Heritage specialist Stanhope Gate Architecture will revive and adjust the lapsed 2021 planning consent and optimise the one‑, two‑ and three‑bed lateral unit mix.

Hercules’ Civils Projects division has secured around £6.2m of sub-contracts starting Q1 2026 on clean and wastewater treatment sites, with £4.2m in the Thames Water region and £2m in the Anglian Water region. The work will sit within AMP8’s expanded capital programme, where both utilities are planning major upgrades to ageing treatment assets and associated civils structures. For contractors and consultants, the move signals growing opportunities in water-sector civils packages as large framework owners push more delivery to specialist sub-contractors.

A six-week public consultation has opened on phase one of Mix Manchester, a Chinese-backed science, innovation and manufacturing campus adjacent to Manchester Airport, promoted by a joint venture of Beijing Construction Engineering Group, Manchester Airports Group, Manchester City Council and Greater Manchester Pension Fund. The hybrid planning application will seek full consent for 6,750 m² of “mid-tech” space in three buildings (11 workspaces plus amenity space) and a multi-storey car park with ground-floor commercial units. Outline consent is also sought for over 100,000 m² of future flexible hybrid commercial and medium-to-large-scale manufacturing space.

Changes to London’s planning system to prioritise office redevelopment could unlock £262bn of investment and an £84bn economic boost, with the London Property Alliance and Knight Frank warning of an 11 million sq ft office shortfall over the next five years in the central activities zone. Some 147 million sq ft – 56% of central stock – is “secondary” space likely to miss 2030 sustainability standards, while prime and Grade A vacancy is at 0.8% and 1.7% respectively and only 12 single floors above 40,000 sq ft remain. Developers cite rising construction, labour and finance costs plus expanding planning obligations as tipping many retrofit and rebuild schemes into non-viability.

John Graham Construction has been appointed main contractor for the University of East London’s £45m New Academic Building in Stratford, the flagship element of a £170m Stratford Health Campus. The facility, scheduled to start on site in early 2026 and complete by summer 2027, will house medical and healthcare teaching and research subject to General Medical Council approval. Targeting BREEAM Outstanding, the design leans on cross-laminated timber, low‑carbon construction methods and circular design principles, signalling strong demand for high‑performance sustainable materials and detailing.

The Federation of Master Builders has overhauled its builder contract templates to reflect the Building Safety Act 2022, explicitly allocating duty holder roles and clarifying who carries design, construction management and compliance responsibilities where architects and engineers decline principal designer duties due to insurance limits. Authored by contract specialist Sarah Fox, the new forms run to just 14–15 pages versus typical 80+ page industry contracts and are free for FMB members. For contractors on small to mid‑scale projects, this offers a practical route to documenting liability, reducing disputes and aligning site practice with the new safety regime.

XCMG Machinery has begun shipping a fleet of 230 t-payload XDE260 diesel-electric haul trucks from its Xuzhou intelligent manufacturing base to the SimFer-operated Simandou Blocks 3 & 4 iron ore project in Guinea. The 240 t-class trucks will support large-scale open-pit development at Simandou, where haul profiles, ramp geometry and crusher feed rates demand high-capacity, long-haul units. Deployment of diesel-electric drives at this scale signals continued preference for trolley-ready, high-efficiency truck fleets on West African greenfield iron ore projects.

Rio Tinto’s first Pilbara-made iron ore rail car has rolled off the production line in Karratha under a A$150 million partnership with Gemco Rail to build 100 wagons in Western Australia. The milestone follows completion of 40 cars at Gemco’s Forrestfield facility near Perth, with the balance to be manufactured closer to Rio’s Pilbara rail network. Local fabrication and maintenance capability for heavy-haul rolling stock is being strengthened, which could shorten overhaul cycles and reduce logistics downtime for Rio’s long-distance ore trains.

Glencore Technology has partnered with XPS in Falconbridge, Ontario, to expand Jameson Cell flotation test work coverage across North America, using XPS’s piloting facilities and state-of-the-art mineral processing laboratories. The multidisciplinary XPS team will run laboratory and pilot-scale campaigns for operations and projects, integrating metallurgical test work with consulting and flowsheet development. For concentrator engineers, this should simplify scale-up of Jameson Cell applications in brownfield and greenfield plants, potentially shortening test programmes and de-risking circuit design changes.

EACON Mining Technology is rolling out a next‑generation autonomous haulage system in China built around on‑board perception, integrating lidar, millimetre‑wave radar and camera fusion directly on 60–100 t class trucks from Tonly, NHL and Yutong. Field deployments span a large open‑pit mine and a quarry operation, with mixed fleets running driverless haul on existing benches and ramps rather than purpose‑built AHS roads. The focus on vehicle‑centric sensing over fixed roadside infrastructure has implications for retrofitting brownfield pits and managing variable geotechnical conditions and visibility.