Geomechanics.io

Schneider Electric and Torngat Metals have signed a non-binding MoU to explore a strategic industrial partnership centred on the Strange Lake rare earth project in Nunavik, with associated processing and logistics infrastructure planned in Labrador. The collaboration targets a “resilient and responsible” rare earth value chain, pairing Schneider’s power, automation and digital systems with Torngat’s heavy rare earth resource. For engineers, the deal signals early integration of energy management, electrification and remote operations design into mine, concentrator and transport corridor planning.

Metso is expanding mineralogy capabilities at its Pori Research Center in Finland to support faster, data-driven decisions from early flowsheet design through to plant optimisation across the full minerals processing lifecycle. The investment focuses on advanced ore characterisation, integrating detailed mineralogical data with process modelling to refine comminution, flotation and dewatering strategies. For mine and plant engineers, this should tighten design parameters, reduce pilot-scale uncertainty and improve brownfield debottlenecking by linking mineral texture and liberation directly to circuit performance.

NVRO Metals Limited plans to acquire Northern Territories Resources Pty Ltd to create the NVRO Metals Hub, a critical minerals production platform in Australia’s Northern Territory. The hub will deploy the proprietary NVRO Process™ to treat local ore bodies, positioning the site as a centralised processing centre rather than a single-mine operation. For geometallurgy and project development teams, the move signals potential new processing capacity for critical minerals in the region, contingent on completion of the transaction and subsequent plant build-out.

Sandvik has launched the Commando DC310RiE, its first all‑electric top hammer surface drill rig for construction and infrastructure work, delivering zero local emissions at the point of operation. The DC310RiE is designed to match the drilling performance and control layout of existing diesel Commando rigs, allowing operators to transfer directly without retraining and maintain established penetration rates. Targeted at urban and tightly regulated sites, the rig removes exhaust management constraints and simplifies compliance with local air‑quality and noise restrictions.

Demolition of Hull’s Torpoint, Millport and Woolwich tower blocks has begun, with GBM Demolition appointed after tender and completion targeted for the autumn to clear the site for new housing. Hull City Council plans at least a one-for-one replacement of the existing council homes with modern, energy‑efficient houses and apartments, retaining much of the current green space. The authority will now procure a development partner to deliver mixed‑use plots including potential retail and community facilities alongside the new residential units.

AMPS, working with the US Electrical Generating Systems Association and EUROPGEN, has helped produce the sixth edition of On-Site Power Generation: A Comprehensive Guide to On-Site Power, expanding it from a US-focused text to globally relevant guidance. The updated guide now covers both 50 Hz and 60 Hz systems, European CE and US UL standards, and regional variations such as grid codes and planning regulations, with an eye to Africa and the Middle East. It also adds design and operation guidance for hybrid systems, micro-grids, and generators using HVO, biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic fuels.

Overbury has installed Adaptavate’s bio-based Breathaboard wallboard at Legal & General’s new London headquarters at 10 Coleman Street, providing a carbon‑storing, compostable alternative to conventional gypsum board. The pilot sits within a deep refurbishment that retains around 95% of the existing structure and integrates low‑carbon systems such as air source heat pumps, supporting L&G’s target of operational Net Zero across its offices by 2030. Adaptavate reports more than 100 projects registered and over £19m in demand via letters of intent and offtake agreements, signalling strong market interest in carbon‑negative fit‑out materials.

Kier has appointed Rachel Warren as group finance director for transformation, tasking her with leading the company’s financial shared service centre alongside group finance director Basil Mendonca. Warren joins from brick manufacturer Michelmersh and brings experience from British Airways, Aer Lingus, Wincanton and Sage in restructuring complex operational businesses. The move signals Kier’s intent to tighten financial control and scalability as it targets long-term UK infrastructure work and pursues what it calls “ambitious plans” for growth.

Develop Global has approved final investment decisions for the Sulphur Springs copper–zinc–silver project in Western Australia and the Pioneer Dome lithium project after securing an approximately $570 million funding and offtake package with Trafigura. The package includes a $500 million loan facility, giving Develop Global full project funding coverage plus working capital to advance mine development, processing plants and associated infrastructure. For engineers, the deal signals firm backing for new base metal and lithium concentrator capacity in Australia under long-term offtake to a major global trader.

Queensland has committed a record $3.2 billion to the CopperString transmission project, which will connect Mount Isa and the North West Minerals Province to the National Electricity Market via Townsville ahead of the 2026–27 State Budget. The high-voltage line is intended to stabilise power supply for existing operations and new copper, zinc and critical minerals projects across the NWMP, where many mines currently rely on isolated gas and diesel generation. For engineers, grid connection could enable larger electrified fleets, lower-cost ventilation and dewatering, and easier integration of on-site renewables.

India’s rapid build-out of AI infrastructure and large-scale data centres, which demand continuous baseload power, is prompting expectations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek higher uranium import volumes from Australia during a visit next month. Australia’s 2014 civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India allows uranium exports for safeguarded reactors, but actual shipments have remained minimal, leaving spare capacity at producers such as Olympic Dam and Ranger rehabilitation-constrained supply chains. Any long-term offtake deals would firm demand signals for Australian yellowcake and could influence mine-life planning, brownfield expansions and new project financing.

ISOIL has released the THERMAG VALVE – CS611, a two-way control valve integrating an electromagnetic thermal energy meter for precise monitoring of heating and cooling circuits in mining and industrial plants. The unit delivers real-time energy measurement and billing compliant with EN1434 and the MID 2014/32/EU directive, targeting both retrofit and new-build systems. For process and services engineers, the combined valve–meter design reduces separate instrumentation, simplifies balancing of thermal loads, and tightens accountability for energy use across distributed circuits.

Sodexo Australia has secured a five-year, >$100 million contract extension with Westgold Resources to provide integrated village services and industrial mine site cleaning across operations in Western Australia’s Goldfields and Murchison regions. The deal covers five remote accommodation villages, including the new Higginsville village, consolidating catering, facilities management and industrial cleaning under a single provider. For mine operators, the scale and duration of the contract signal continued outsourcing of non-core services to stabilise camp operations and labour support on geographically dispersed gold assets.

Tyrecycle Chief Executive Officer Jim Fairweather is urging stronger government procurement of recycled rubber products and market-based regulation in evidence to the federal parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s tyre industry. Fairweather wants policy settings that favour domestic processing of end-of-life tyres into crumb rubber and tyre-derived fuel rather than landfilling or export, stating the company’s goal is that “not a single tyre” is dumped in Australia. For road authorities and civil contractors, any mandated uptake could expand supply of rubber-modified asphalt and engineered fill using tyre-derived aggregates.

SAMI Bitumen Technologies has opened the SAMI Technical Centre (STC), a purpose-built laboratory for advanced bitumen and asphalt testing, research and performance-based assessment for Australia’s road network. The facility is configured for high-end rheological characterisation, mix design optimisation and durability testing of binders and asphalt, supporting polymer-modified and speciality binders used in heavy-duty pavements. Expanded in-house capability is expected to shorten test turnaround times for road agencies and contractors and support more rigorous performance specifications for high-traffic and high-temperature environments.

Coates is doubling its fleet of large containerised generators, adding 750–1250 kVA units to bolster temporary power capacity for major Australian construction and infrastructure worksites. The expansion targets complex, time-critical operations such as tunnelling, bridge construction and road upgrades where grid access is constrained or redundancy is critical. For contractors, the larger fleet enables scalable multi-megawatt setups, improved load sharing and reduced reliance on smaller, less efficient sets for dewatering, high-capacity cranes and continuous concrete batching.

Dudleys Consulting Engineers has completed the new UK headquarters for Spanish coach builder Irizar in Blyth, working with KPP Architects, Stainforth Construction LLP, RPP Group, Quod and Orbis Building Services Consultants. The facility consolidates Irizar’s UK operations on a single purpose-built site, integrating office, workshop and vehicle handling functions. For engineers, the scheme signals continuing demand for bespoke industrial premises with coordinated structural, services and transport planning input across multidisciplinary UK project teams.

Dalkia UK has secured an £8.9m mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) package for the new Passivhaus-standard Trinity Academy secondary school in Edinburgh, its third Passivhaus school project. Working with main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey from October, Dalkia will be responsible for low-energy building services design and installation to meet the stringent Passivhaus heating demand and airtightness criteria. The contract signals continued demand for highly integrated MEP and fabric solutions on Scottish education projects targeting ultra-low operational energy.

National Tool Hire is expanding its online rehire marketplace to sell building materials such as bricks, plasterboard and cement, alongside its existing tools and equipment. By partnering with builders’ merchants across the UK, the platform will allow DIY and trade customers to order materials alone or bundled with hired kit, with nationwide delivery. The move targets time savings on small to medium projects where site teams currently source consumables and plant separately, streamlining procurement for short-duration construction and maintenance works.

Work has started on the second phase of the £65m redevelopment of Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford, with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust appointing McAvoy to deliver the scheme using modular construction. The project will use offsite-manufactured units to accelerate programme and reduce disruption on the constrained healthcare campus, with modules craned into place to form new inpatient accommodation. For civil and structural teams, key issues will include modular foundation interfaces, service coordination through pre-formed openings, and managing tolerances at module joints.

Vp Plc reported adjusted profit of £27m on revenue of £358.3m for the year to 31 March 2026, down from £36.7m on £380m, after cutting fleet capital investment by 21.1% to £51.6m amid weak early‑year construction activity and lower AMP7 water revenues. The Brandon Hire Station restructuring has shifted the business fully to B2B, shrinking its branch network from 119 to 41, reducing its rental fleet by 40% and shedding 400 jobs. Restructuring costs of £10.5m to date, with a further £10.6m to come, are expected to achieve cash payback in four years.

Crane BS&U workers in Hitchin have secured a 6% pay rise from US-owned Crane Co, double the firm’s initial 3% offer, following two weeks of strike action by GMB members. The dispute, the second in two years at the process flow technologies division site, centred on base pay rather than one-off bonuses, with staff pushing for an uplift that better tracks current inflation and skilled engineering labour rates. The settlement may influence wage expectations at comparable UK manufacturing and valve/flow-control suppliers facing similar cost pressures.

Alwoodley Civils is using National Pile Croppers’ Quad and CFA croppers to trim 350mm concrete piles on a tightly constrained hotel site behind a preserved 1920s façade on Piccadilly, York, which also contains Roman-era walls. The Quad unit’s small footprint and four synchronised rams allow cropping of contiguous and secant piled walls with pile spacing down to 100mm, while holding cut sections for controlled removal. Despite the inner-city constraints and heritage sensitivities, the team is achieving cropping rates of 10–15 piles per day, with NPC specialists switching tools as conditions change.

The Regulators' Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (Rapid) has opened a consultation on expanding its remit in planning and consenting major water infrastructure in England. Proposals would extend Rapid’s current focus on strategic water resource schemes to a wider range of large-scale assets, potentially including new reservoirs, inter-regional transfer pipelines and associated treatment works. For engineers, a broader Rapid role could change programme risk profiles, front‑end design timelines and regulatory interfaces for multi‑billion‑pound water projects in AMP9 and beyond.