Caterpillar Acquires Skycatch to Strengthen AI-Powered Digital Mining Platform

BHP has awarded a contract worth more than A$200 million (US$138.8 million) to China Nerin Engineering to design and supply key processing facilities for the proposed expansion of its Olympic Dam smelter and refinery in South Australia. The contract will be executed in stages as BHP progresses project studies ahead of a potential final investment decision (FID) in 2027, with the equipment supply phase subject to FID approval. The expanded facilities are expected to be completed by early 2032 and form a key part of BHP's strategy to increase copper production in South Australia to 500,000 tonnes per year through the 2030s.

Ivanhoe Mines said copper production at its flagship Kamoa-Kakula complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to increase significantly in the second half of 2026, while maintaining its full-year production guidance of 290,000-330,000 tonnes. The operation produced 64,328 tonnes of copper in the second quarter, bringing first-half output to 135,745 tonnes. The company expects mining rates at the Kakula mine to increase by about 30% in H2, supported by the planned drawdown of up to 10,000 tonnes of inventory. Ivanhoe also noted that sulphuric acid prices remain exceptionally strong, with July sales contracts reaching approximately US$840 per tonne, a record high.

nvironmental groups are calling for the Philippines to stop e-scrap imports after alleging that at least 234 containers of suspected e-waste were shipped from the United States to the country since March 2025. The issue highlights rising regulatory pressure on Southeast Asian imports of e-scrap and lower-quality secondary materials.