Latest Environmental And Regulatory News

Alcoa Corporation has struck a $4.1 billion deal to acquire South32's bauxite, alumina, and aluminium operations, including a contingent value right of up to $750 million tied to commodity prices. The transaction is expected to close in H1 2027, pending approvals.

Lefroy Exploration has launched a scoping study for its Mt Martin Gold Project, following an updated resource estimate of 460,000 ounces. The study, funded by a recent $3.6 million placement, aims to assess development options by September 2026 while mining operations at Lucky Strike prepare to resume.

Mount Hope Mining has engaged R.W. Corkery & Co to lead environmental baseline studies and prepare for an Environmental Impact Statement at its Mt Solitary gold project, a crucial step towards mining approvals in NSW.

Santana Minerals has voluntarily paused its Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project fast-track approval process to provide additional information following expert panel review, while maintaining the statutory timeline.

Australian Rare Earths (ASX: AR3) has announced a maiden Ore Reserve of 26 million tonnes at 920 ppm TREO for its Koppamurra Rare Earths Project, underpinned by a robust Pre-Feasibility Study delivering an A$858 million post-tax NPV and a rapid payback of less than one year.

Western Australia's State Government has backed VRX Silica's land swap proposal at Muchea, unlocking access to a significantly larger high-grade silica sand resource with lower environmental impact and paving the way for downstream glass manufacturing.

Caravel Minerals has lifted the confidence in its Caravel Copper Project with a 48% increase in Proved Ore Reserve tonnage, maintaining stable total contained copper while adding new metal grades to the reserve estimate.

St Barbara has passed a key regulatory milestone for its 15-Mile Processing Hub in Nova Scotia, submitting the Initial Project Description and triggering a coordinated federal-provincial review. The project features a redesigned footprint that cuts environmental disturbance by up to 55% and consolidates processing to a single hub, promising strong economic benefits and community engagement.

Zinc of Ireland (ASX: ZMI) has finalised its acquisition of Meclex, securing two hydrometallurgical technologies aimed at disrupting zinc and lead processing with low-emission methods. Backed by a fresh A$5.5 million placement, ZMI is accelerating pilot plant development and exploration at its Kildare project.

Native Mineral Resources (ASX:NMR) reported its strongest operational performance since restarting Blackjack, with a June gold smelt producing 488.5 oz doré and May metallurgical metrics showing record gold recovery over 95%. Multiple mining fronts and ongoing exploration position NMR for growth in FY2027.

GreenX Metals has unveiled a substantial Exploration Target at its Tannenberg Copper Project in Germany, estimating up to 279 million tonnes of mineralisation with significant copper and silver grades. This marks a strategic shift to active exploration following extensive archival research.

Minrex Resources is set to ramp up its flagship Tlamino Gold Project in Serbia with a fully funded 7,000m drilling program aimed at upgrading its resource classification and refreshing project economics in a dramatically improved metals price environment.