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BHP has agreed to sell its Kambalda Nickel Concentrator and associated tenements and mineral rights in Western Australia to Gold Fields, with completion expected in 2027, subject to regulatory clearance and other conditions.

Gold Fields will take control of the concentrator and exploration properties, assessing their potential for both gold and nickel processing. The company plans to offer employment opportunities to existing personnel working directly with the assets and engage with Traditional Owners, local communities and other stakeholders.

BHP will continue operating the concentrator and managing environmental, regulatory and cultural heritage obligations until the transaction closes. The sale follows BHP’s July 2024 decision to temporarily suspend its Western Australia nickel operations amid a global nickel supply surplus.

The remainder of BHP’s Western Australia nickel assets will remain suspended while the company reviews their future. The review is due by February 2027 and will consider a sale, continued suspension, restart or closure.

Glencore has secured approval for its Minera Agua Rica–Alumbrera (MARA) project under Argentina’s Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), advancing plans to develop the Agua Rica copper deposit in Catamarca province.

The project aims to process Agua Rica ore at the Alumbrera facilities, 35km from the deposit. Glencore expects the Alumbrera mine restart to deliver first production in the second half of 2027, earlier than its previous guidance of the first half of 2028.

The restart is currently supporting nearly 2,000 jobs, mostly held by Catamarca residents. Glencore said maintaining the workforce and infrastructure would reduce ramp-up risks for MARA and support shared operations.

Agua Rica contains estimated measured and indicated resources of 1.2 billion tonnes, grading 0.47% copper. Glencore forecasts average annual production of more than 200,000 tonnes of copper in concentrate during MARA’s first decade of operation.

New South Wales’ Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has approved applications allowing Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) to continue open-cut coal mining at its North and South sites, subject to environmental conditions.

The approvals would extend HVO North’s mine life from 2026 to 2045 and HVO South’s from 2030 to 2042. HVO is independently managed for Yancoal (51%) and Glencore (49%).

The IPC cited projected emissions of 809 million tonnes of greenhouse gases from mining operations and the overseas combustion of exported coal. Conditions include restricting exports to destinations with Paris Agreement-aligned emissions policies, maximising renewable energy use within four years and preparing greenhouse gas mitigation and Scope 3 management plans. Additional carbon offsets and a closure management plan are also required.

The projects still require federal environmental approval.

Fortescue Metals has produced its first hot metal at the Christmas Creek Green Metal Project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, marking a milestone in trials of lower-emission iron-making technology.

The project uses a direct reduced iron (DRI) smelting furnace supplied by Metso to assess processing local iron ore fines. The technology is designed to produce iron units with lower emissions and process Pilbara ores with higher gangue content that may be unsuitable for conventional direct reduction.

Metso supplied the furnace design and technology, with installation beginning in September 2025. The pilot project aims to generate data to support the development of commercial-scale green iron production in Australia.

Fortescue CEO Dino Otranto said the project could help the company create more value domestically by processing Australian iron ore into green metal, rather than exporting the raw material. Metso said the trials would provide further insight into scaling up the technology for industrial applications.

Tungsten West has signed a binding eight-year supply and offtake agreement with US-based Elmet Technologies for tungsten from its Hemerdon mine in Devon, UK.

The deal covers 1,000 tonnes per annum of contained tungsten trioxide, with an indicative nominal value exceeding £1.4bn over the contract period. Pricing will be linked to European ammonium paratungstate market rates, while actual revenue will depend on prices, exchange rates, specifications and delivered volumes.

Elmet will also use commercially reasonable efforts to process an additional 500 tonnes per annum, subject to further terms, to support UK government and domestic industry requirements.

The agreement follows the UK National Wealth Fund’s investment of up to £71m in Tungsten West and government negotiations to secure up to 50% of Hemerdon’s output. Elmet has separately received a $450m investment from the US Department of War and holds a contract worth up to $2bn to supply tungsten materials to the US National Defense Stockpile.