Geomechanics.io

Dewatering of the main pit at Rox Resources’ Youanmi gold project in Western Australia has been completed, exposing the historic Youanmi underground workings for the first time in decades and clearing the way for decline access. The work allows detailed geotechnical mapping of existing drives and stopes, assessment of ground conditions around legacy voids, and planning of new underground infrastructure tied to the existing shaft and portal locations. Engineers will now be able to refine support regimes, groundwater management and backfill strategies based on direct inspection rather than historic records.

Moxa has secured the world’s first IEC 62443-4-2 certification under the IECEE scheme for serial device servers, covering its NPort 6000 G2 series used to connect legacy RS-232/422/485 equipment to IP networks in harsh industrial and mining environments. The certification verifies embedded security functions such as secure boot, user authentication, encrypted protocols and integrity checks at the component level, rather than only at system level. For mines running brownfield SCADA and PLC infrastructure, this signals a path to harden serial-to-Ethernet gateways without wholesale replacement of field devices.

Federal Budget allocations of $1.75 billion for the national rail freight network will fund resilience and productivity upgrades on Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) corridors, building on earlier 2024 commitments. The Australasian Railway Association says the package targets new network investment rather than short-term maintenance, signalling scope for heavier axle loads, longer trains and improved flood and heat resilience on key interstate routes. For civil and track engineers, the funding points to upcoming packages in ballast renewal, formation strengthening, bridge upgrades and signalling modernisation across ARTC’s standard-gauge network.

JLG has introduced a board and pipe carrier for its Power Tower and Power Tower Duo low-level electric platforms, adding a 75kg-capacity plasterboard ledge and a 45kg rack along the handrail for pipe, threaded rod or strut. Both platforms retain their 0.78m width to pass through standard doorways, offer a 5m maximum working height and 250kg total lift capacity, with the board tray folding away to preserve manoeuvrability. Additional options include an anticlimb grate to deter unsafe climbing and the Power Tower CS confined space basket for full-cage use in restricted areas.

National Highways has appointed WSP to lead a multi-disciplinary team to deliver its Water Quality Plan targeting pollution from road run-off across the strategic road network. The commission will focus on identifying high-risk outfalls, retrofitting drainage and treatment assets such as interceptors, swales and attenuation ponds, and improving monitoring of contaminants including hydrocarbons and suspended solids. For civil and geotechnical designers, the move signals more retrofit water treatment structures at existing junctions, cuttings and embankments, with tighter controls on discharge consents.

Tunnelling crews on the northern section of the second Gotthard Road Tunnel tube beneath the Swiss Alps are advancing up to 32m per day through hard Alpine rock, a high rate for drill-and-blast in such geology. The new bore, running parallel to the existing 16.9km tunnel, is being excavated to modernise the trans-Alpine road link and allow full refurbishment of the original tube. Rapid advance through competent rock reduces time under temporary support, but demands tight control of blasting, convergence monitoring and rock support installation.

Scape Procure has launched preliminary market engagement for a £1.2bn construction and services framework spanning multiple regions across England, targeting public sector building and infrastructure works. The framework is expected to bundle design, construction, maintenance and related professional services into regional lots, enabling local authorities and public bodies to procure works without separate OJEU or Find a Tender procedures. Contractors, consultants and FM providers will need to position for multi-year, multi-project call-offs, with workload likely focused on schools, civic buildings, highways and small-to-medium infrastructure upgrades.

Argentina is courting more than $40 billion in new copper investment under President Javier Milei’s pro‑market reforms, with the RIGI regime granting 30‑year tax, customs and FX stability to projects over $200 million and already covering 10 schemes worth $25.5 billion. Flagship copper projects include McEwen Copper’s Los Azules seeking about $4 billion in financing, First Quantum’s proposed $3.5 billion Taca Taca build, and Glencore’s El Pachón and Agua Rica with combined capex above $13 billion. The push comes amid intense provincial‑level conflicts over water and glacier protection, court‑ordered suspensions such as at Vicuña Corp in La Rioja, and competing US–China influence, particularly around lithium in Salta, Jujuy and Catamarca.

BHP has been denied permission by London’s Court of Appeal to challenge a High Court ruling that found it liable under Brazilian law for the 2015 Fundão tailings dam collapse at the Samarco iron ore operation in Mariana, which killed 19 people and contaminated the Rio Doce for hundreds of kilometres. The decision clears the way for a two-year UK damages process, with a Stage 2 compensation trial scheduled for April 2027 and final awards potentially extending beyond 2030. BHP points to a roughly $32 billion Brazil settlement and remediation programmes that have already compensated more than 625,000 people, with about 240,000 claimants discontinuing UK claims after indemnification in Brazil.

Rio Tinto chief executive Simon Trott is pushing a global streamlining drive targeting US$5–10 billion from asset divestments and efficiencies after delivering US$650 million in productivity gains and reorganising the group into three divisions: Iron Ore; Aluminium & Lithium; and Copper. Reports suggest up to 20% of Perth white‑collar roles could go, with Trott confirming white‑collar cuts and a focus on keeping frontline operational jobs while pushing decisions “as close to the point of impact as we can”. Trott and chairman Dominic Barton reaffirmed Rio’s diversified strategy centred on iron ore, lithium, aluminium and copper amid intensifying geopolitical fragmentation and supply chain competition.

Lundin Gold has reported bonanza-grade intercepts at Fruta del Norte in Ecuador, including 7.5 metres at 667.78 g/t Au from 19 metres in hole FDN-C25-374 and 8 metres at 523.01 g/t Au from 23 metres in FDN-C26-380 in the South zone. Additional drilling at Fruta del Norte East returned 5.9 metres at 20.34 g/t Au from 299 metres and 4.2 metres at 169.93 g/t Au from 427.5 metres, supporting resource conversion around the existing 5,500 t/d operation. Lundin has budgeted a record US$85 million for 133,000 metres of drilling in 2026, with 17 rigs targeting both epithermal gold and copper-gold porphyry systems ahead of mine-life and throughput expansion decisions.

TMCR is paying $132.5 million for a 1% index-priced gross overriding royalty on Mesabi Metallics’ Nashwauk taconite project in Minnesota, which is designed for up to 8.5 million tonnes per year of direct-reduction-grade pellets over a 23+ year mine life. The nearly 93%-complete mine and pellet plant, backed by India’s Essar Group and up to $10 billion in US Export-Import Bank support, targets first output in H2 2026 and full production in 2027. TMCR will fund the deal via a $75 million private placement at $13 per share and a proposed $50 million senior secured credit facility.

Chile’s Senate is reviewing a cross‑party bill to create a dedicated legal regime for critical minerals, adding standards for management, information, traceability and operational continuity across the full value chain without amending core mining laws. The draft defines critical minerals as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper, rare earths, molybdenum, rhenium, antimony, selenium, silicon, tellurium and indium, all tied to batteries, electrification and solar technologies. For operators, the shift signals tighter oversight on processing and supply‑chain transparency rather than new concession rules.

British Columbia’s mining sector generated C$19.6 billion in economic output, supported 56,000 jobs and delivered nearly C$6 billion in government revenue in 2024 from just 18 mines and two smelters, according to a new MABC economic impact study. Three of four mining projects on the province’s 18-project priority list, including Teck’s Highland Valley Copper extension and Skeena’s Eskay Creek, now have permits, while 24 proposed northern B.C. projects could add over C$67 billion in construction-phase output. MABC CEO Michael Goehring warned that DRIPA-related legal uncertainty, extended permitting timelines and new PST on professional services risk deterring investment, as B.C. also faces a forecast need for 5,000 additional mine workers over the next decade.

Trafigura is negotiating with Egyptalum and Metallurgical Industries Holding Company to develop a 300,000‑tonne‑per‑annum primary aluminium smelter and a 150,000‑tpa anode plant at Egyptalum’s Nag Hammadi complex, nearly doubling the site’s current output. The project, costed at $750–$900 million, would be delivered via a newly incorporated company, with Trafigura as minority equity investor, debt provider and long‑term offtake and feedstock counterparty. The planned capacity targets tight ex‑China supply, after Gulf smelter disruptions and a decade‑long 6‑million‑tonne drawdown in non‑Chinese inventories.

Gold prices rebounded sharply on Wednesday, with spot bullion jumping up to 3.6% to above $4,700/oz and three‑month futures near $4,710/oz, as hopes for a US‑Iran peace deal eased expectations of prolonged high interest rates. Silver tracked the move, gaining more than 6% to almost $78/oz, after a 10‑week Gulf conflict had previously knocked gold about 11% lower despite its safe‑haven status. Analysts from Zaner Metals and ING say easing inflation fears could reopen the door to US Federal Reserve rate cuts, while continued central‑bank buying remains a key longer‑term support.

Brownfield infrastructure projects are seeing geotechnical and environmental teams urged to integrate ground investigation, contamination data and 3D ground models from the outset, rather than running parallel site characterisation workflows. The piece stresses unified digital datasets combining borehole logs, in situ test results and contaminant plumes to refine ground risk registers, optimise foundation and earthworks design, and avoid late-stage remediation surprises. Case experience shows that early joint modelling of variable made ground, buried obstructions and legacy industrial pollution can materially cut unforeseen ground conditions claims and programme delays.

PYBAR Mining Services, a Thiess company, has secured the underground exploration decline contract for Southern Cross Gold Consolidated’s Sunday Creek gold–antimony project, located about 60 km north of Melbourne in Victoria. The contract follows Resources Victoria Work Plan approval in November 2025 and public backing from Premier Jacinta Allan, clearing key regulatory and political hurdles. Development of an exploration decline at Sunday Creek will enable deeper drilling, improved structural understanding of the high-grade gold–antimony system, and more accurate resource definition ahead of any future mine design.

Philippi-Hagenbuch Inc reports that its fully custom-engineered off-highway haul truck bodies, water tanks and specialty inserts can be integrated directly with autonomous haul truck platforms from any OEM, maintaining compatibility with existing autonomy kits. The company designs each body to match the truck’s specific chassis geometry, payload target and centre-of-gravity envelope, aiming to preserve sensor fields of view and avoid interference with LiDAR, radar and GPS hardware. For mine operators, this allows payload-optimised bodies and water units without revalidating autonomous haul system performance or rewriting control logic.

Six Australian critical minerals projects backed by Japanese partners are advancing supply of nickel, rare earths, alumina and other battery inputs, with proponents including Ardea Resources’ Kalgoorlie Nickel Project, Lynas Rare Earths’ Mt Weld operations and Alcoa’s alumina assets. The collaboration spans bulk sample test work at Kalgoorlie core yards through to downstream processing and offtake arrangements, targeting stable, non-Chinese supply chains for EV and renewable sectors. For engineers, the focus is on scaling beneficiation, hydrometallurgical refining and logistics integration to meet Japanese quality and security-of-supply requirements.

Fortescue is deploying Foxtel Business iQ across 11 remote Western Australian mining camps, connecting more than 10,000 fly-in fly-out workers via a unified entertainment and information platform. The system delivers live TV, on-demand content and site-specific channels through Foxtel iQ set-top boxes integrated with existing camp networks, enabling centralised control of messaging and content. For camp operators, the rollout standardises room hardware and reduces reliance on ad hoc satellite and free-to-air setups, simplifying maintenance across multiple Pilbara sites.

Nickel and cobalt developers advanced several projects in the March quarter, with IGO progressing downstream refining options for its Nova and Cosmos assets and BHP continuing ramp-up and debottlenecking at the 100,000tpa Kwinana nickel refinery. Australian laterite projects moved to tighten economics via updated feasibility work, higher-grade ore scheduling and revised capex for HPAL circuits, while multiple juniors signed offtake MOUs with Asian battery manufacturers to secure financing and integrate into precursor cathode active material supply chains.

Mining royalties and payroll tax are again propping up the Northern Territory’s 2026–27 budget, with Treasury forecasts heavily reliant on existing operations such as McArthur River Mine and the Gove bauxite transition. Industry groups including the Minerals Council of Australia’s NT division are pushing for stronger incentives, calling for accelerated depreciation, streamlined approvals under the Territory’s Mineral Titles Act, and more funding for regional roads and power. The debate centres on whether current fiscal settings can attract new critical minerals projects in remote areas with high logistics and energy costs.

A stronger balance sheet and a growing pipeline of work are allowing Australian mining contractors to expand into larger EPC-style packages, long-term mine services and post-closure rehabilitation. Firms active in iron ore, coal and critical minerals are bidding not only for drill-and-blast and load-and-haul, but also for tailings dam lifts, in-pit crushing and conveying installations, and progressive rehabilitation certified under state regulations. Contractors are investing in larger autonomous-ready fleets and specialist rehabilitation plant, signalling more bundled contracts that span greenfield development through to closure.