Yancoal Australia has acquired an 80 per cent interest in the Kestrel underground metallurgical coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin by purchasing 100 per cent of Kestrel Coal Group for an upfront US$1.85 billion cash consideration, subject to completion adjustments. The deal gives Yancoal control over a longwall operation producing premium hard coking coal linked to existing rail and port infrastructure at Gladstone. For geotechnical and mining teams, the acquisition signals continued investment in deep, high-capex underground coal with sustained demand for longwall support, strata control and ventilation expertise.

Lynas Rare Earths will acquire Meteoric Resources in an all-scrip deal valuing Meteoric at about A$1.45 billion, securing the Caldeira ionic clay rare earths project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Caldeira is described as the largest known ionic clay rare earth oxide resource outside China, with a definitive feasibility study due in the March 2026 quarter and first production targeted for 2028. The move gives Lynas a major non-Chinese, non-hard-rock feed source for its existing cracking and separation plants in Australia and Malaysia.

TAKRAF Group is upgrading flotation performance with its DELKOR BQR MAXGen cells, using optimised hydrodynamics and improved bubble–particle interaction to boost recovery from increasingly complex ore bodies while cutting energy use. The MAXGen design focuses on controlled air dispersion, high shear zones and stable froth conditions to improve fine particle attachment and reduce reagent consumption. For brownfield concentrators, retrofitting these cells into existing circuits offers a relatively low-footprint route to higher metallurgical performance without major layout changes.