Geomechanics.io

Alamos Gold expects second-quarter output from its Young-Davidson underground mine in northern Ontario to fall to 130,000–135,000 oz, about 12% below prior guidance, after two seismic events damaged infrastructure and cut access to two higher-grade stopes, compounded by a three-day storm-related power outage. Consolidated 2026 production is now projected below full-year guidance with unit costs rising, with revised figures due in July. Production stability is shifting to the Island Gold District, where underground mining rates are planned to increase from 1,500 to 2,000 t/d and the Magino mill ramp-up targets 10,000 t/d by Q3.

Small and micro modular reactors (SMRs and microreactors) sit at the bottom of miners’ low‑carbon power options, despite intense promotion of 300 MW‑class SMRs, AI‑optimised reactor operations and bullish uranium price forecasts. Developers are pitching factory‑built, modular units for remote sites and off‑grid mines, but operators still prioritise proven renewables‑plus‑storage, grid power and gas or diesel hybrids. For mine planners and power engineers, nuclear remains a long‑term possibility rather than a near‑term procurement item for new pits, expansions or remote processing hubs.

Martin Engineering has introduced the N2 Air Cannon Intelligence (ACI) System, turning conventional air cannons in cement kilns and other high-temperature process lines into monitored, connected assets. Wireless N2 sensors mounted on each cannon feed real-time pressure, firing and cycle data to a central gateway, allowing operators to detect misfires, blocked valves and suboptimal firing sequences without manual inspection. For materials handling and process engineers, this enables tighter control of build-up removal on preheaters, riser ducts and clinker coolers, reducing unplanned shutdowns and compressed air waste.

Brazil Potash has awarded a second Front-End Engineering Design contract for mine shafts and underground development at its Autazes potash project in Amazonas State, Brazil, to WSP UK, with Redpath Deilmann as subconsultant for the shaft scope. The FEED package will define shaft configuration, sinking methodology and underground access layouts for the planned solution mining-style potash operation, de-risking detailed design and construction tendering. For geotechnical and shaft specialists, the appointment signals early engagement on ground control, lining design and water inflow management in challenging Amazon basin conditions.

Cementation Americas, Cementation Africa and Terra Nova Technologies (TNT) have entered a strategic ownership transition that commercially closed on 19 May, placing control of these underground mining, EPCM and materials handling specialists under a consortium led by South African investment group Differential Capital by 25 June 2026. The deal includes Merit Consultants International within Cementation Americas, consolidating shaft sinking, raiseboring, underground construction and overland conveyor expertise under a single investment umbrella. For mine developers, the move signals a more integrated offering across design-build, underground infrastructure and bulk materials handling on a global project basis.

Metso has expanded its primary crushing line-up with three new machines: the Primarok™ next‑generation primary gyratory, the Optirok™ evolved primary jaw crusher, and the Durarok™ large sizer for high-capacity installations. The range targets different front‑end configurations, from deep open pits feeding large gyratories to operations preferring jaw‑based plants or low‑height sizer stations. For mine planners and process engineers, the trio broadens options for matching crusher type to ROM fragmentation, bench geometry and downstream throughput constraints.

Normet’s battery-electric fleet at Rio Tinto’s Oyu Tolgoi underground copper-gold mine in Mongolia is being used at scale to prove full-cycle electrification in a deep, block-cave operation with long ramp hauls and high ambient temperatures in the South Gobi Desert. Multiple BEV platforms, including concrete sprayers, scalers and utility vehicles, are operating in extensive development and production areas, replacing comparable diesel units in demanding ground conditions. Early data on energy use, heat load and maintenance intervals is informing ventilation design, power distribution planning and future fleet selection for large underground projects.

Australian construction costs are projected to stay high for at least three years, with WT’s latest Australian Construction Market Conditions Report forecasting 2026 BAU escalation of 5.5 per cent for building and 5.1 per cent for infrastructure. The twice-yearly report links sustained cost pressure to geopolitical uncertainty and supply chain volatility, affecting major road, rail and civil works procurement. Contractors and clients will need to factor higher escalation allowances into long-duration contracts, risk contingencies and value engineering for large transport and public infrastructure programmes.

UK airports are pushing complex upgrades while remaining fully operational, with Manchester Airport’s £1.3bn, decade-long transformation phasing terminal rebuilds, new piers and airfield works around peak flight schedules. Gatwick’s Northern Runway project is progressing as a standby strip is widened and regraded to full main-runway standard under tight night-time possession windows and strict obstacle limitation and pavement strength constraints. Heathrow’s proposed megaprojects are being planned around segregated work zones, temporary taxiways and stand reconfigurations to maintain declared runway capacity and minimise disruption to airside logistics.

ATG Access marks 35 years in perimeter security engineering, tracing the shift from basic manually operated bollards in 1991 to today’s PAS 68/IWA 14-tested automatic bollards and sliding barriers designed to stop 7.5 t vehicles at impact speeds above 50 km/h. The company describes how hostile vehicle mitigation has moved from ad hoc street furniture to integrated systems with buried foundations, shallow-mount cassettes for congested utilities corridors, and impact-rated street furniture. For civil and highway schemes, the message is to design security early, coordinate with below-ground services, and plan for whole-life maintenance of hydraulic and electromechanical components.

A £3.8M multi-agency flood alleviation scheme has moved into the construction phase in the Avon Road area of South Stanley, County Durham, targeting properties repeatedly affected by surface water and fluvial flooding. Works are expected to include new surface water drainage infrastructure, upgraded culverts and localised storage or attenuation features to increase capacity during intense rainfall events. For civil and geotechnical teams, key issues will be managing shallow utilities, maintaining access in a residential setting, and detailing foundations and backfill to cope with variable ground conditions and high groundwater during storms.

United Utilities has created new woodlands and restored peatlands across more than 2,200 football pitches’ worth of land at its North West water catchment sites, signalling a major landscape-scale intervention in source protection. Large-scale peatland preservation and tree planting in upland catchments can materially reduce peak runoff, improve raw water quality by cutting colour and turbidity, and stabilise slopes, with long-term implications for reservoir yield, treatment costs and geotechnical performance of adjacent infrastructure.

Benz Mining has reported initial metallurgical testwork from the Icon camp at its Glenburgh gold project in Western Australia showing the ore is free milling, with composite samples from the higher-grade core achieving about 95.5 per cent gold extraction within 24 hours. The results suggest conventional cyanide leach flowsheets and standard grinding may be sufficient, reducing the likelihood of requiring refractory processing or complex pre-treatment. For project evaluation, such rapid, high recoveries materially improve potential plant design simplicity, operating costs and cut-off grade assumptions.

Victory Metals has commissioned a rare earths pilot processing plant in Perth to advance flowsheet development for its North Stanmore heavy rare earth project, with the facility officially opened by Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King. The plant will test beneficiation and hydrometallurgical routes on North Stanmore ore to de-risk scale-up to a commercial concentrator and refinery. For process and project engineers, pilot data from this facility will drive decisions on reagent regimes, impurity management and potential downstream separation capacity in Western Australia.

M Resources and its partner Golden Energy and Resources (GEAR) have secured the Tahmoor underground coal operations in New South Wales through a competitive auction, beating rival bids involving former Mastermyne chief executive Tony Caruso, contractor RStar and trader IMR. The deal transfers control of a long-life hard coking coal mine with established longwall infrastructure and rail-linked CHPP, positioning the consortium to leverage existing capacity rather than develop greenfield assets. For contractors and suppliers, the ownership change signals potential retendering of underground services, logistics and capital works packages.

Redpost has launched the RPU-120+ single-channel polyurethane (PU) monitor, a special-purpose electronic temperature recorder covering the same temperature range as the previous RPU-120 but with higher accuracy and longer logging duration. Using the same third-generation sensing and electronics platform as the RPU-352, the unit targets “industry-leading” temperature accuracy for PU injection and curing control in mining and tunnelling applications. The device retains Redpost’s rugged construction, aimed at reliable performance in harsh underground environments where precise thermal profiling governs grout behaviour and quality assurance.

Hillgrove Resources has reported further high-grade copper from underground drilling at the Emily Star lode within the Kanmantoo project in South Australia, supporting plans to restart underground mining beneath the former open pit. ABx Group is progressing product development at its Deep Leads rare earths project in northern Tasmania, advancing towards commercialisation of clay-hosted REE products. Amara Minerals has secured new funding to advance antimony exploration, signalling continued investor appetite for critical mineral prospects across Australian brownfield and greenfield sites.

Ardmore Construction Group and related entities, including Ardmore Major Projects, Ardmore Fitout, Ardmore Regeneration, Landmark Facades and Ardmore Hotels & Commercial, have entered administration and ceased trading, with licensed insolvency practitioners from BTG and Panos Eliades Callender & Co. appointed on 11–12 June 2026. Around 275 staff have been made redundant, with the joint administrators coordinating DWP engagement and Redundancy Payments Service claims. BTG Eddisons and specialist quantity surveyors are inspecting live sites to secure assets, assess health and safety conditions and stabilise project interfaces.

A surge of UK infrastructure schemes moving from planning into delivery is exposing whether contractors and consultants have enough designers, site engineers and supervisors to staff concurrent major works. With multiple nationally significant projects—such as long linear rail and highway upgrades and complex urban tunnelling—entering construction, demand is rising sharply for digital design skills, construction management, temporary works design and specialist trades. Firms may need to re-sequence programmes, expand apprenticeship pipelines and rely more on offsite fabrication to mitigate labour and competency bottlenecks.

Skills shortages and skills gaps in UK engineering and manufacturing are costing an estimated £5.2bn per year, according to new analysis by sector skills charity Enginuity. The shortfall spans core disciplines such as civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, with employers reporting unfilled roles in CAD design, CNC machining, welding, and maintenance of automated production lines. For infrastructure delivery, the findings signal continued pressure on project timelines, higher labour costs in specialist trades, and increased risk around asset maintenance and retrofit programmes.

Installation is starting on roof beams for an HS2 “giant Lego” box structure spanning both carriageways of the M42 near Solihull, creating a portal for the future high-speed rail line. The precast concrete box will be assembled adjacent to live traffic and slid or jacked into final position during motorway possessions, minimising long-term closures on this key West Midlands corridor. For designers and contractors, the scheme illustrates large-scale box construction over an existing dual three-lane motorway under tight possession windows and complex temporary works constraints.

Jacobs has been appointed by Singapore’s national water agency PUB to deliver a feasibility study for a potential new seawater desalination plant to bolster the city-state’s highly engineered water supply system. The study is expected to assess site options on Singapore’s constrained coastline, integration with existing large-scale membrane desalination facilities, and energy demand relative to the national grid and NEWater recycling plants. Outcomes will influence long-term infrastructure planning, including intake/outfall design, brine dispersion, and resilience to sea-level rise and extreme storm events.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, via Merseytravel, has launched a new electrical engineering framework worth up to £12M to support maintenance, asset renewals and upgrades across its transport network and operational estate. The framework will cover electrical works on rail, bus and ferry assets, including power distribution, fixed wiring, signalling interfaces and station systems. Contractors will need to manage works in live operational environments, with implications for possession planning, temporary supplies, and integration with existing LV/HV infrastructure and control systems.

Norfolk County Council has appointed Costain to complete detailed design and construction of the West Winch Housing Access Road near King’s Lynn, a key link for a major housing allocation on the A10 corridor. The scheme will create a new offline route to divert traffic from the existing A10 through West Winch, reducing congestion and improving journey time reliability into King’s Lynn. For civil and geotechnical teams, the project will involve greenfield alignment design, new junction tie-ins to the A10, and associated drainage and earthworks in low-lying Norfolk ground conditions.