Sandvik Grows PNG Footprint as Porgera Attempts 100K Oz
Sandvik announced an expansion of its Lae service center in Papua New Guinea, boosting support for more than 40 mining machines and adding new repair and rebuild capabilities. The upgrade includes a Remote Monitoring Service to predict equipment failures and aims to improve working conditions for its 24 local staff. The move aligns with Porgera gold mine’s target of 100,000 ounces of gold production in 2026, following a record 92,000‑ounce output in 2025. Sandvik also highlighted its training programs that upskill local operators and technicians.
Fortescue to Invest $680M in Pilbara Green Energy
Fortescue Metals Group announced a $680 million investment to build a 200 MW Pilbara Green Energy Project, expanding its off‑grid renewable capacity beyond the Real Zero by 2030 target. The system will combine solar, wind, large‑scale battery storage and 620 km of transmission...
CoreX Holding Acquires Carajás Copper Assets From BHP for $465M
CoreX Holding completed a $465 million purchase of BHP’s Carajás copper assets in Brazil, paying $240 million at closing with $225 million in contingent payments. The deal adds an operating underground mine, a processing plant and 1,800 km² of exploration ground to CoreX’s Copper...
Aris Mining Connects Decline to Marmato Underground in Colombia
Aris Mining announced that the Los Indios cross‑cut has successfully connected its new surface decline to the existing underground workings at the Marmato gold mine in Caldas, Colombia. The link enables continuous underground access for the 5,000‑metric‑ton‑per‑day carbon‑in‑paste (CIP) plant...
Ionic Mineral Technologies – Michael Stephan Wright
Ionic Mineral Technologies announced the appointment of Michael Stephan Wright as Chief Development Officer – Mining. Wright joins the firm with more than 25 years of global project‑delivery experience, most recently serving as vice president of projects at Perpetua Resources....
MineSense – John Slaven
MineSense announced the appointment of John Slaven as its chief executive officer, effective March 2. Slaven arrives with 35 years of mining and consulting experience, most recently leading technology firm Jetti. His résumé includes senior leadership roles at BHP, Alcoa, Boston Consulting...
Austin Powder – Mark Dawson
Austin Powder announced the appointment of Mark Dawson as president of its U.S. & Canada Services division, effective April 1. Dawson will report directly to company president and CEO John Rathbun. He arrives from Halliburton, where he most recently served as...
Wesdome Gold Mines – Christine Barwell
Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. has appointed Christine Barwell as senior vice president of Human Resources. Interim VP Kim Humphreys will stay on until Barwell’s start date and then shift to a consulting role for special projects. Barwell joins from Li‑Cycle...
Victory Metals
Victory Metals Ltd announced a new technical leadership team to drive its North Stanmore Heavy Rare Earths Project. The roster adds Ken Baxter, Scott Atkinson, Dr. Ludovic Dumée and Peter Hedley, who will work alongside Technical Director Professor Ken Collerson...
U.S. Senate Passes Resolution to Reverse Minnesota Mining Ban
On April 16, the U.S. Senate voted 50‑49 to overturn the Biden administration’s 20‑year mining ban on more than 225,000 acres of Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. The Congressional Review Act resolution, already passed by the House, now heads to President...
Underground Rock Drilling Legacy Continues
J.H. Fletcher & Co. appointed long‑time insider Rod Duncan as its new chief executive, ending a 35‑year career that spanned every division of the underground‑mining OEM. The company, known for face drills, bolters and scalers, recently leveraged its 2022 Cannon...
Nelson Brothers Unwind Orica Agreement
Nelson Brothers, Inc. (NBI) announced a restructuring agreement that will unwind its joint‑venture with Orica. After the deal, NBI will own and operate its specialty chemicals business, including emulsifiers used in explosives, while Orica will take full control of the...
Codelco Taps Microsoft for Analytics, AI
Codelco, the world’s largest copper miner, has signed an 18‑month partnership with Microsoft to deploy artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, automation and digital security solutions. A joint governance board will oversee strategic and operational execution, ensuring pilots and early‑stage tests align...
Ivanhoe’s Platreef Adopts Weir HPGRs
Ivanhoe Mines has equipped its Platreef copper‑gold mine in South Africa with Weir ENDURON high‑pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) for tertiary crushing as part of its Phase 2 expansion. The HPGRs, which require no grinding media and use up to 40% less...
Rio Tinto, Suppliers Innovate for ESG Goals
Rio Tinto is collaborating with Cohda Wireless, Spectrum FiftyNine, Roobuck and Maptek to upgrade a proximity detection system at its Oyu Tolgoi underground mine in Mongolia. The new smartTag, miniaturized to fit cap lamps, can be detected through bends and pinpointed...
Byrnecut Deploys AutoMine to Five Mines
Sandvik announced that Byrnecut has ordered AutoMine Multi‑Lite systems for five mines – four in Australia (Gwalia, Ulysses, Youanmi, Gossan Valley) and one in Namibia (Navachab). The technology enables a single operator to control up to three loaders remotely, cutting...
Miners Recycle Transmission Oil as Blasting Agent
MNK BME, a joint venture between PT Multi Nitrotama Kimia and BME Indonesia, has validated the reuse of used transmission oil as a fuel component in emulsion explosives for Indonesia’s mining sector. Laboratory trials showed stable formulations up to moderate...
Global Tailings Monitoring Service
Viridien has launched the Global Tailings Monitoring Service (GTMS), an automated, remote platform that uses satellite‑derived Earth Observation data to monitor tailings storage facilities worldwide. Developed with ESA Space Solutions, the service offers near‑real‑time updates and scales across single or...
Virginia Tech Assists With Silver Recovery
Virginia Tech’s Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering has signed a multi‑year research agreement with Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL) to boost silver recovery in the Indian producer’s lead‑zinc plants. The partnership will focus on advancing flotation science, diagnosing metallurgical losses,...
Rio Tinto Partners With AI Singapore to Strengthen Supply Chain
Rio Tinto has entered a two‑year Memorandum of Understanding with AI Singapore to co‑develop artificial‑intelligence tools for its global supply chain. The collaboration builds on an AI‑driven freight‑invoice processing pilot that handles more than 10,000 invoices each year. By leveraging...
Rugged NDIR Gas Sensor
Honeywell unveiled its 4-Series NDIR hydrocarbon gas sensor, a rugged non‑dispersive infrared device built for both fixed installations and portable detectors used by field workers, miners and plant operators. The sensor incorporates an integrated condensation‑reduction system that clears excess moisture,...
Battery Electric Scaler Cuts Costs
Hermann Paus Maschinenfabrik unveiled the battery‑electric PScale 8‑TE scaler, targeting underground mining operations with a high‑efficiency, low‑emission powertrain. The machine runs on an 800‑V system powered by an 80 kWh lithium‑ion battery that can be charged to 90 % in 45 minutes via a...
Dust Control for Transfer Points
Martin Engineering launched three passive dust‑control solutions for conveyor transfer points: ApronSeal urethane skirting, GravitySeal self‑adjusting urethane skirting, and the A.I.R. Control dust curtain. The ApronSeal fits within a 50 mm belt gap and seals the trough angle, while GravitySeal uses...
Wheel Loader With More Torque
Komatsu unveiled the WA700-8 wheel loader, designed to work with its new HD605-10 haul truck. The machine offers 8% more gross power, 15% more torque, a 6% lift‑force increase and up to 8% better fuel efficiency versus the WA700-3. New...
Cat Shovel Offers Top Production, Efficiency
Caterpillar unveiled its next‑generation 6040 hydraulic mining shovel, a 400‑metric‑ton machine that combines a 1,201 kN breakout force with a closed‑loop swing system for faster cycles. The shovel integrates Cat Payload, Enhanced Motion Control, and a variable‑flow hydraulic optimization that together...
Grid Metals and Boliden Sign $10M Agreement for Thompson East
Grid Metals Corp. and Boliden Mineral Canada have signed a definitive option and joint‑venture agreement to explore the Thompson East copper‑nickel‑PGM‑cobalt project in northern Manitoba. Boliden can earn an 80% interest by funding roughly $7 million USD in cumulative expenditures and...
Intrepid Potash Sells South Ranch for $70M
Intrepid Potash Inc. announced that its New Mexico subsidiary has signed a $70 million Asset Purchase Agreement with HydroSource Logistics to sell the majority of the Intrepid South Ranch. The deal transfers roughly 21,793 acres of fee land, 27,858 acres of...
Soma Gold Submits Permit Application for Nechí Project
Soma Gold Corp has filed a PTO (Permiso de Trabajo de Obra) mining permit for its Nechí underground project in Bolívar, Colombia. The Nechí deposit is slated to deliver 250 metric tons per day of ore to the El Bagre...
Pacgold Delivers First Gold Production at White Dam
Pacgold Ltd announced maiden gold production at its White Dam project, recovering roughly 2 kg (60 oz) of calcined gold in the first 14 days after a plant recommissioning. The re‑crushing circuit is now processing about 1,500 tons of ore per day, with...
Argentina Passes Bill to Expand Glacial Mining
Argentina’s lower house approved a reform bill that overturns the 2010 Glacier Law, allowing mining in glacial and permafrost zones of the Andes. The Chamber of Deputies voted 137‑111 with three abstentions after a 12‑hour debate, following Senate approval in...
Panama Approves Processing of Stockpiled Ore
Panama’s government gave First Quantum Minerals approval to remove, process, and export the 38 million‑ton stockpile of ore at the suspended Cobre Panamá mine. The stockpile holds about 70,000 metric tons of recoverable copper, but the plan does not constitute a mine reopening and...
Barrick to Slow Development at Reko Diq
Barrick Mining announced it will slow development of its Reko Diq copper‑gold project in Pakistan, extending the review period to mid‑2027. The pause follows preliminary findings and heightened security incidents in Balochistan, a region bordering Afghanistan and Iran. While capital spending...
North American Construction Group Acquires Iron Mine Contracting
North American Construction Group (NACG) closed a roughly $125 million purchase of Iron Mine Contracting (IMC) on April 7, 2026, with an economic effective date of January 1, 2026. The deal gives NACG an established platform in Western Australia, adding a diversified blue‑chip...
First Atlantic Nickel Accepted Into DIBC
First Atlantic Nickel Corp. has been admitted to the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) because of its Pipestone XL awaruite nickel‑cobalt alloy project in Newfoundland. The DIBC oversees defense‑critical mineral investments, and nickel is listed as essential for aerospace,...
Kemi Mine to Launch Circular Ecosystem
Outokumpu, together with the EU‑funded Lapland Mining Hub and Digipolis, is launching a data‑driven circular‑economy ecosystem at its Kemi chromium mine. The initiative aims to convert roughly 3 million metric tons of annual waste rock and tailings into marketable inputs such...
Court Upholds Permit for Rhyolite Ridge
The U.S. District Court for Nevada upheld the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of Ioneer Ltd.’s Rhyolite Ridge mine plan, confirming compliance with the Endangered Species Act, Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and NEPA. The decision removes the last...
Final Production at Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine
Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in Canada celebrated its final day of production after 23 years, having extracted more than 150 million carats of rough diamonds. The mine, which operated both open‑pit and underground methods beneath Lac de Gras, will cease...
Volvo Pulls the Plug On Rokbak
Volvo Construction Equipment announced it will close the Rokbak line of articulated haulers at its Motherwell, Scotland plant, with production slated to end in the second half of 2026. The move follows rising operational expenses, strained supply chains and broader...
Zijin Mining Acquires Majority Stake in Chifeng Gold for $2.6B
Zijin Mining, China’s largest gold producer, is set to acquire a controlling stake in Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining for $2.64 billion (approximately ¥18.26 billion). The deal will lift Zijin’s ownership to about 26%, giving it full financial consolidation of Chifeng’s six gold...
Nelson Brothers Unwinds Agreement with Orica
Nelson Brothers, Inc. (NBI) announced a strategic restructuring that will unwind its joint‑venture with Orica. Under the agreement, NBI will acquire 100% ownership of its Specialty Chemicals business, which produces emulsifiers for explosives, while Orica will take full control of...
Boliden Stops Production at Garpenberg Mine
A rockfall at depth 1,100 m in Boliden’s Garpenberg mine on March 14 triggered a pressure wave that injured six workers, all now discharged. The incident prompted evacuation and halted production at the concentrator on March 15. Garpenberg, Sweden’s oldest operating mine, produces...
Freeport Applies for El Abra Mine Life Extension
Freeport‑McMoRan subsidiary El Abra Mining Co. has filed an operational continuity plan with Chile’s Environmental Impact Assessment System to extend the El Abra copper mine’s life by roughly 40 years. The proposal follows comprehensive technical and environmental studies and outlines...
FLSmidth & Co – Toni Laaksonen
FLSmidth & Co. announced that Toni Laaksonen has been appointed chief executive officer. In the same wave of change, Qasim Abrahams was named president of the products business line, succeeding Julian Soles. Alanas Kraujalis will serve as interim president of the services business line....
J.H. Fletcher – Rod Duncan & Ben Hardman
J.H. Fletcher & Co. announced that longtime CEO Greg Hinshaw is retiring. The board promoted President Rod Duncan to chief executive officer, while Vice President of Sales Ben Hardman will serve as chief operating officer. Julia Fletcher, formerly VP of...
Engine Air Filtration System
Donaldson Co. introduced ArmorSeal, a new air filtration system designed for off‑highway equipment engines. The system uses a precision spin‑welded joint and a geometry‑based seal to replace traditional snaps and adhesives. This design delivers consistent sealing pressure, cuts filter removal...
Batch Automation, Recipe Management Software
Valmet announced the release of FlexBatch 8, a batch automation and recipe‑management solution that lets operators build and modify batch processes with drag‑and‑drop tools, eliminating the need for custom programming. The platform integrates tightly with Valmet DNAe and the D3 distributed...
Conveyor Skirboards, Skirting Liners
Superior Industries unveiled its Adjustable Skirtboard Systems and RockGuard Skirting Liners, targeting conveyor load zones and transfer points. The modular, 3‑inch incremental design enables precise length and height adjustments, creating tighter seals that curb fugitive dust and material spillage. Integrated...
Mid-Range Drill Bit Resharpening Machine
Sandvik has launched the RG550Be, a mid‑range, semi‑automatic drill‑bit resharpening machine that operates as a stationary, non‑pneumatic plug‑and‑go unit with integrated water recirculation, filtration and ventilation. The machine is offered in a battery‑electric, rig‑mounted version and includes Wi‑Fi connectivity and...
Efficient New Cat Shovel Pairs With 777s
Caterpillar unveiled the Cat 6015 hydraulic mining shovel, featuring a 14.6‑metric‑ton payload that pairs directly with its 773, 775, and 777 trucks. The machine runs on a 615‑kW engine that meets Tier 4‑Final/EU Stage V standards without diesel exhaust fluid and offers...
First Quantum Minerals to Sell Çayeli Mine for $340M
First Quantum Minerals agreed to sell its Çayeli copper‑zinc mine in Turkey to Cengiz İnşaat for $340 million, with a $50 million upfront payment. The mine, operating since 1994, received a 2025 resource update that extends its life to 2036. The transaction is...