ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

The contractor recovery has a forward visibility problem, and the JV model is quietly rewriting how junior projects get built

There are two stories inside Grant Thornton's latest mining contractors report, and the one getting most of the attention is the wrong one.

By Jamie Wade on April 28, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Mineral Processing, Costs, Financial Planning, Contract Management, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Reclamation Projects, Regulatory Adherence, Long-term Planning, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Reserve Estimation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, North America, Canada
Iron ore, Strategic Minerals, Lithium, Precious Metals, Gold, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

Exploration still works, but getting to the first drill hole now takes longer, costs more, and tests patience before the rocks ever do

The mining industry is not running out of deposits.

By Jamie Wade on March 30, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Stakeholder Communication, Workforce, Training and Development, Employee Retention, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, North America, United States, Nevada, Canada, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Africa, Botswana
Precious Metals, Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Strategic Minerals, Lithium

Underground leaching method reduces costs and rock movement, unlocking low-grade copper with in-place recovery and advanced blasting

The pursuit of critical minerals is pushing miners deeper underground, where innovation—not just excavation—is becoming the key to unlocking value.

By Jamie Wade on March 16, 2026
Costs, Cost Control, Procurement Efficiency, ESG, Sustainable Practices, Environmental Stewardship, Mine Closure Planning, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Resource Sustainability, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Case Studies
Australia, South Australia, Gawler Craton
Base Metals, Copper

Mining powers up for a battery-fuelled future as experts say success now depends on smart data, skilled people and the courage to rethink operations

There’s a moment in every technological revolution when optimism meets reality - when the glossy promise of transformation hits the grit of practical deployment.

By Jamie Wade on March 15, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Process Improvement, Equipment Maintenance, ESG, Education and Training Initiatives, Sustainable Practices, Long-term Planning, Workforce, Training and Development, Health and Well-being Programs, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Collaboration with Research Institutions, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation
Australia, North America, Canada, British Columbia
Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Cobalt, Energy Minerals, Strategic Minerals, Lithium

Smart mines get smarter as agentic AI steps up to connect data boost productivity and put intelligent decision making in every miner’s toolkit

The future of mining is already here - and it’s being shaped by AI systems that can think, act and integrate seamlessly with the tools you already use.

By Jamie Wade on March 7, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Process Improvement, Equipment Maintenance, Workflow Management, ESG, Sustainable Practices, Long-term Planning, Workforce, Training and Development, Health and Well-being Programs, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages, Exploration, Geoscience data visualisation and analytics, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia

When piezometers act up, dissipation testing shows the surprising role of saturation fluids in solving tailings dam monitoring mysteries

Unexpected piezometer trends in a tailings dam triggered an investigation that uncovered an overlooked variable in dissipation testing – the type of saturation fluid.

By Jamie Wade on March 7, 2026
Safety, Occupational Health, ESG, Water and Air Quality Monitoring, Innovation, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Case Studies
Australia, Queensland
Base Metals, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)

Betting the deep as polymetallic nodules emerge as a billion dollar play to fuel batteries steelmaking and the critical minerals transition

It takes a certain type of confidence to suggest the future of clean energy metals might lie four kilometres below the Pacific Ocean – confidence, and perhaps a streak of stubbornness.

By Jamie Wade on March 7, 2026
ESG, Environmental Impact Assessments, Regulatory Adherence, Sustainable Practices, Extraction, Mineral Extraction, Resource Sustainability, Reserve Estimation, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Collaboration with Research Institutions, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages
North America, United States, Oceania, Asia, Indonesia, Japan
Base Metals, Copper, Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt

Why stable jurisdictions, faster permits and clear rules are winning the global mining investment race

The annual temperature check from the Fraser Institute has landed — and while the rocks haven’t moved, capital certainly has.

By Jamie Wade on February 28, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Stakeholder Communication, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Exploration
Australia, North America, United States, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Canada, Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Africa, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Mali, Europe, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Oceania, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Asia, China
Precious Metals, Base Metals, Rare Earth Elements, Strategic Minerals

Gold fever, tin whispers and rare earth reality checks

If you wanted a temperature check on Western Australia’s exploration sector last week, you didn’t need a feasibility study.

By Jamie Wade on February 25, 2026
Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Stakeholder Communication, Community Development Projects, Local Employment Opportunities, Sustainable Practices, Long-term Planning, Workforce, Recruitment, Training and Development, Employee Retention, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation, Mines & Projects, Project Overviews, Development Stages, Exploration, Geological exploration and resource modelling, Exploration technologies and methodologies
Australia, Western Australia, Goldfields-Esperance, Mid West, New South Wales, Central West Region
Dysprosium, Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Niobium, Gold, Base Metals, Tin, Rare Earth Elements, Praseodymium, Neodymium

Mining’s next bottleneck isn’t in the ground – it’s in the policy inbox

At first glance, the WA Mining Club’s Market Outlook Luncheon at Optus Stadium looked like it would follow a familiar script.

By Jamie Wade on February 6, 2026
Efficiency, Production Optimisation, Costs, Financial Planning, Cost Control, ESG, Regulatory Adherence, Environmental Permits, Legislative Updates, Long-term Planning, Economic Balance, Innovation, Technology Adoption, Process Innovation, Risk, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation
Australia, Western Australia, North America, United States, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, France, Asia, China
Uranium, Strategic Minerals, Precious Metals, Gold, Silver, Base Metals, Copper, Energy Minerals, Coal (Thermal and Metallurgical)