Rio Tinto rolls out first Pilbara-made iron-ore rail car

Diversified miner Rio Tinto has unveiled its first Pilbara-made iron-ore rail car, manufactured in Karratha under a A$150-million partnership with Gemco Rail aimed at boosting local production... 

Mithril secures option to acquire property near Copalquin

ASX- and TSX-V-listed Mithril Silver and Gold has signed a purchase option to acquire the La Dura gold/silver property in Mexico’s Durango state, expanding its land position near the company’s... 

Syrah appoints Samantha Hogg as chair-elect

ASX-listed Syrah Resources has appointed Samantha Hogg to its board as an independent non-executive director and chair-elect, completing a succession process first announced in May. She will... 

Anglesey wipes £4m debt as Energold steps in with funding and new directors

London-listed Anglesey Mining has struck a wide-reaching deal with its largest shareholder and creditor, Energold Minerals, that will eliminate nearly all of the company’s £4-million debt burden,... 

BHP, Rio begin testing first battery-electric haul trucks in the Pilbara

Diversified mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto have taken delivery of Australia’s first Cat 793 XE Early Learner battery-electric haul trucks at BHP’s Jimblebar mine, marking the start of on-site... 

XXIX Metal files PEA for Opemiska

Copper project developer XXIX Metal has filed a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) technical report for its Opemiska copper project in Chapais, Québec, confirming a long-life operation with... 

Traxtion invests R3.4bn in rolling stock

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses rail company Traxtion's announcement of a R3.4-billion investment in locomotives and wagons to begin operating on South Africa’s mainline freight... 

Floyd Masemula

This week we profile Floyd Masemula, deputy CEO, responsible for South African operations, at Harmony Gold Mining Company, a gold mining specialist with a growing copper footprint  

Hyprop raises R400m in accelerated bookbuild

Retail-focused real estate investment trust (Reit) Hyprop has raised R400-million in an oversubscribed accelerated bookbuild. Hyprop on December 3 set out to raise R300-million to fund various... 

Rio Tinto’s Nuton technology yields first copper at Johnson Camp

Rio Tinto has produced the first copper using its Nuton bioleaching technology at the Johnson Camp mine, in Arizona, marking a step in commercialising a process the company says could transform... 

Mainstream Renewable Power CFO Julie Berg to succeed outgoing CEO from Jan

Julie Berg will succeed Morten Henriksen as Group CEO of renewable energy company Mainstream Renewable Power from January 2026. Henriksen this week announced his decision to step down from his role... 

Ramelius signs native title agreement for Rebecca-Roe

Gold miner Ramelius Resources has signed a native title mining agreement (NTMA) with the Kakarra Part B Native Title Holders, clearing a key hurdle for the development of the Rebecca-Roe gold... 

Artemis, West Coast Silver to assess Radio Hill as potential processing route

Explorers Artemis Resources and West Coast Silver on Thursday announced a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly evaluate whether the Radio Hill processing plant, near Karratha,... 

Ivanhoe sets 2026, 2027 Kamoa-Kakula production guidance as dewatering progresses

With dewatering of the Kakula mine progressing well and positive progress having been made on underground rehabilitation to date, Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines has set the copper production... 

CEO of De Beers Group's Tracr business to step down in Feb

Diamond company De Beers Group has announced that Wesley Tucker will step down as CEO of its blockchain technology platform and diamond traceability business Tracr at the end of February 2026.... 

Headwater, Centerra sign $25m earn-in deal for Idaho gold project

US minerals explorer Headwater Gold has struck a definitive earn-in agreement with Centerra Gold that could see the Canadian miner take a 70% interest in the Crane Creek gold project in Idaho... 

Polymetals raises fresh equity for Endeavor mine

ASX-listed Polymetals Resources has moved to further boost its financial position and advance development plans at the Endeavor silver/zinc mine, securing A$34.4-million in new equity while also... 

Contango’s Johnson Tract accepted Into FAST-41

The Johnson Tract critical metals project in Alaska has been accepted as a “covered project” under the US federal FAST-41 permitting framework, owner Contango ORE reported on Tuesday. The... 

PLS bolsters leadership team with new CFO and board appointment

Lithium materials producer PLS has moved to bolster its executive and board capabilities, announcing the appointment of a new CFO and a new nonexecutive director. PLS appointed Alex Willcocks as... 

Fortescue installs first large-scale BYD battery system at North Star Junction

Iron-ore miner Fortescue has installed its first large-scale battery energy Sstorage system (BESS) at North Star Junction in the Pilbara, a key step in the company’s plan to decarbonise its... 

US mining groups back Northern Dynasty in challenge to EPA Pebble veto

Copper and gold developer Northern Dynasty Minerals says several major US industry organisations have filed amicus briefs in federal court supporting its legal challenge to the US Environmental... 

GDP grows by 0.5% in the third quarter

South Africa’s GDP increased by 0.5% in the third quarter, following an increase of 0.9% in the second quarter, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) reports. The trade, catering and accommodation... 

Black Cat strikes JV to mine high-grade Star of Mangaroon

Western Australian gold producer Black Cat Syndicate has entered into a binding heads of agreement and ore purchase agreement with Dreadnought Resources to develop and process ore from the... 

Strategic Resources seeks major project designation for Quebec project

Montreal-based Strategic Resources has submitted an intake application to Canada’s new Major Projects Office (MPO), seeking federal support for its BlackRock vanadium, titanium and high-purity iron... 

Thungela to sell Goedehoop North assets

Thermal coal producer Thungela will sell its Goedehoop North assets to private company GHN Resources and UK-based Bisichi for up to R700-million. Thungela notes that its South African portfolio is... 

Ascot warns of potential CCAA filing as restructuring talks stall

Vancouver-headquartered Ascot Resources, owner of the Premier gold mine in British Columbia, has warned it may be forced to seek creditor protection after failing to finalise terms for a planned... 

FireFly launches dual-market equity raise totalling A$139m

Copper/gold explorer FireFly Metals has unveiled a major dual-market equity raising package that will bring in more than A$139-million to accelerate development and exploration at its high-grade... 

Hecla cleared to begin exploration at historic Aurora district

US-based Hecla Mining has secured federal approval for its 2026 exploration programme at the Polaris project in Nevada’s historic Aurora mining district, after the US Forest Service (USFS) issued a... 

Lucara awards last major Karowe underground contract

Canada-headquartered Lucara Diamond Corporation has awarded a lateral development contract for its Karowe underground project (UGP), in Botswana, to Group R Mining and Exploration Botswana. The... 

Ivanhoe celebrates start of heat-up of Africa's 'largest, greenest' copper smelter

Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines has confirmed the start-up of the 500 000 t/y direct-to-blister copper smelter at its joint venture Kamoa-Kakula complex in the Democratic Republic of Congol... 

DevEx consolidates uranium footprint

ASX-listed explorer DevEx Resources has struck a binding agreement to acquire Alligator Energy’s full uranium exploration tenure in the Alligator Rivers Uranium Province (ARUP), securing a 9 200... 

Gold exploration surges 45% amid metal price boom — ABS

Gold exploration spending in Australia has jumped 45% over the past year, with the September quarter showing the strongest levels since late 2023, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics... 

GT1 appoints Altris to lead Seymour DFS

Australia-listed Green Technology Metals (GT1) has appointed engineering consultancy Altris Engineering to optimise and lead the definitive feasibility study (DFS) for its Seymour lithium project... 

SolGold rejects approach from Jiangxi Copper

Ecuador-focused SolGold on Friday revealed that it had rejected a fresh non-binding takeover proposal from Jiangxi Copper Company (JCC), after the Chinese group approached the company with a... 

Canada’s top court clears way for class action over Lundin's 2017 disclosure

Canada’s Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that allows investors to proceed with a proposed securities class action against Lundin Mining, clearing the way for the case to be heard in Ontario’s... 

Antofagasta transport unit launches hydrogen locomotive

Chile’s Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (FCAB), the transport division of Antofagasta, has launched Latin America’s first hydrogen-powered locomotive. The unveiling coincides with FCAB’s... 

Montage Gold to acquire African Gold in $170m deal

TSX-listed Montage Gold on Friday announced a binding scheme implementation deed to acquire all shares in ASX-listed African Gold that it did not already own, in a transaction that strengthened the... 

Roads, Rail & Ports 2025: Infrastructure under strain

South Africa’s road, rail and port networks remain under strain, with each part of the system facing operational and infrastructure challenges.  Roads continue to carry most freight as rail... 

South Africa amends RfP for gas-to-power procurement

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer talks about amendments made to the request for proposals for the procurement of 2 000 MW of gas to power and what these changes mean for the programme and... 

Richard Späth

This week we profile Richard Späth, MD of TAKRAF South Africa, a provider of equipment and solutions to the mining, minerals processing and materials handling industries.