In early 2025, South Africa’s Limpopo province was hit by a rare convergence of natural and infrastructural crises. Torrential rains, coupled with the sudden collapse of the Bierspruit Dam near Swartklip, caused widespread flooding across the region – crippling operations at several mining facilities.

Among the hardest hit was Valterra Platinum’s Tumela Mine, part of the Amandelbult Complex. Thanks to swift action and robust emergency procedures, all personnel were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported. However, underground workings and the main pump station were inundated, halting production and threatening up to 10% of the company’s monthly metal-in-concentrate output.

Faced with mounting operational pressure, Valterra Platinum turned to ABB for urgent support to restore critical electrical infrastructure.

“When the flooding hit Tumela Mine, our first priority was the safety of our people and protecting critical infrastructure. Thanks to our emergency protocols, we were able to evacuate safely and avoid injuries, but getting operations back online quickly was essential. ABB’s rapid response and technical expertise was instrumental in restoring production without compromising safety,” said Isak Rudolph, Principal Engineer: Electrical and Automation from Valterra Platinum.

Newmont Corporation announced third quarter 2025 results and declared a dividend of $0.25 per share.

“Newmont delivered a robust third quarter performance, producing approximately 1.4 million attributable gold ounces and generating a third-quarter record of $1.6 billion in free cash flow, marking the fourth consecutive quarter with over $1 billion in free cash flow,” said Tom Palmer, Newmont’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are making significant progress on the cost savings initiatives announced at the beginning of the year, enabling us to meaningfully improve our 2025 guidance for several cost metrics, while maintaining our outlook for production and unit costs in a rising gold price environment

“As I prepare to retire at year-end, I am confident that Newmont is well positioned to continue delivering strong performance under Natascha Viljoen’s leadership, as she assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer at the beginning of 2026.”

Q3 2025 Results
 Reported Net Income of $1.8 billion, Adjusted Net Income (ANI)2 of $1.9 billion or $1.71 per diluted share, and Adjusted EBITDA of $3.3 billion
 Produced 1.4 million gold ounces, as well as 35 thousand tonnes of copper, primarily from Newmont’s core managed operations
 Improved Newmont’s 2025 cost and capital guidance through continued progress on cost savings initiatives and a shift in the timing of capital spend; remain on track to meet Newmont’s 2025 production and unit cost guidance
 Received net cash proceeds of nearly $640 million from asset and equity sales, including the sale of shares in Orla Mining and Discovery Silver, the receipt of the Akyem contingent payment, and the sale of the Coffee project
 In 2025, received more than $3.5 billion in net cash proceeds from announced transactions, including approximately $2.6 billion from divested assets and nearly $900 million from the sale of equity shares
 Generated $2.3 billion of cash from operating activities, net of unfavorable working capital impacts of $286 million, primarily driven by the timing of cash collections; reported third-quarter record Free Cash Flow2 of $1.6 billion
 Returned $823 million of capital to shareholders through share repurchases and dividend payments since the last earnings call; declared a dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock for the third quarter of 2025
 Through the date of filing, Newmont has executed and settled total trades of common stock repurchases of $3.3 billion; $2.7 billion remains under the previously authorized programs of $6.0 billion
 Reduced debt by $2 billion through the completion of a successful debt tender offer, ending the quarter in a near-zero net debt position with $5.6 billion of cash and $9.6 billion in total liquidity
 Received credit rating upgrade by Moody’s to A3 with a stable outlook, supported by Newmont’s improved credit profile, strengthened balance sheet, excellent liquidity position, and prudent financial management.

Fortuna Mining is pleased to announce it has executed a binding Heads of Agreement (HOA) with DeSoto Resources Limited, an Australian-listed gold exploration company, to establish an exploration alliance and joint venture across the highly prospective Siguiri Basin in Guinea. 

New Exploration Front

Paul Weedon, Senior Vice President of Exploration at Fortuna, commented, “Guinea’s Siguiri Basin has demonstrated potential to host multi-million-ounce gold deposits in a country with a long mining history. This agreement with DeSoto provides Fortuna with an excellent entry into this highly prospective region, alongside a highly qualified and experienced team with a proven track record of discovery across West Africa.”

The stage two dewatering of the Kakula Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo has commenced on schedule, which means that Kamoa-Kakula’s 2026 and 2027 copper production guidance will now be issued once stage two dewatering activities are more advanced.

Three out of the four stage two high-capacity, submersible pumps were recently installed and commissioned on schedule. Kamoa-Kakula’s engineering team expect to have all four tage two pumps operating within the coming days, operating at a combined pumping rate of approximately 2,600 litres per second. Since the commissioning of the three stage two pumps, the underground water level in the Kakula Mine has dropped vertically by 10 metres, out of a total of approximately 80 metres.

Once all four stage two high-capacity, submersible pumps are operational, the existing atage one temporary, underground pumping infrastructure will be repositioned further down the mine, following the water level as it declines. The total pumping rate out of the Kakula Mine is expected to increase up to a target of approximately 6,400 litres per second, or 550 megalitres per day, reducing the vertical underground water level by approximately one metre per day. The majority of the stage two dewatering of the Kakula Mine is expected to be complete by the end of November 2025, which is when the underground water level is expected to reach near the bottom of the stage two dewatering shafts.

As the underground water level falls, the underground mining team have already started systematically rehabilitating the newly dewatered areas of the Kakula Mine. The team is initially focused on rehabilitating the areas required for repositioning the Stage One underground pumping infrastructure.

In an ideal world, a single steam user has consistent load demand and operates continuously.  However, reality is rarely this simple – and managing a dynamic steam plant operation featuring multiple users requires strong technical skills, good communication and close attention to optimise results, explains AES Commercial Director, Dennis Williams.

Variations, including time and duration of use, steam draw profiles (either constant or batch, intermittent, staged), different steam pressure requirements, direct or indirect steam use and condensate return differences impact on operations – especially when it comes to training steam plant operators, different boiler technologies and fuels, and managing consistent steam pressure supply – all while factoring in the potential use of accumulators and steam pressure control valves.

Optimising efficiency of steam generation (boiler load balancing, fuel trims, emission management due to load changes), together with carefully managing changes to steam and condensate return reticulation systems (including startup / shutdown of lines / production from one or multiple steam users), specific water treatment requirements due to variations in direct / indirect steam use and the impact of reduced condensate return from steam users are also important additional factors.

Measuring and monitoring

As contractors in southern Africa seek to reduce operating costs to remain competitive, the recent arrival of the fully electric Powertrack range from Athos Crushing and Screening unlocks a new era in crushing and screening. A contractor operating outside South Africa has placed an order for two units, heralding the industry’s keen interest in the technology.

July 2025 marked a new era in the southern African crushing and screening space as Athos Crushing and Screening, a sister company to Pilot Crushtec International, took the wraps off what is believed to be the first fully electric line of mobile crushers and screens in southern Africa.

The launch event saw the arrival of the first three units – the Powertrack PT Pro J-11E mobile jaw crusher, the Powertrack PT Pro C-20E mobile cone crusher and the Powertrack PT Pro ST-08E mobile triple-deck screen, which will be joined by the Powertrack PT Pro SP-08E mobile scalping screen at a later stage.

“Ahead of the launch, a contractor operating outside South Africa placed an order for two machines, a Powertrack PT Pro J-11E mobile jaw crusher and a Powertrack PT Pro ST-08E mobile triple-deck screen. The machines will be deployed to crush aggregates for the maintenance of haul roads at a mine,” confirms Sales and Marketing Director Francois Marais.

In a milestone achievement for South Africa’s renewable energy sector, Concor has taken full control of the Balance of Plant (BoP) scope on the TotalEnergies Renewables De Aar 2 South Wind Energy Facility in the Northern Cape. This marks the first time the company is delivering a fully wrapped BoP contract under its own direct engineering and construction management. Not only is Concor the main contractor for the 25 turbine project spread across five farms near Philipstown, but it is also responsible for both the Civil BoP (CBoP) and Electrical BoP (EBoP) – from design and engineering through to execution including the Eskom Distribution self-build scope. This comprehensive self-perform approach represents a bold departure from traditional contracting models and signals Concor’s evolution into a truly turnkey BoP provider.

“With over 13 years of experience in renewable energy infrastructure, more than 10 wind farms successfully completed since 2012 and a further six wind farms currently in various phases of construction, Concor is no stranger to the demands of this sector,” says Stephan Venter, Contract Director at Concor. “But this project sets a new benchmark. By taking full ownership of both the engineering and construction elements, we are reducing interfaces, improving accountability and de-risking the process for our clients.”

This strategic shift positions Concor at the forefront of renewable project delivery in South Africa, offering clients a streamlined single-source BoP solution that enhances coordination and ensures delivery certainty.

The 5,473 hectare facility is on a fast track programme, with early works launched in November 2024 and completion expected by Q3 of 2026. The company’s scope includes 54 km of gravel road infrastructure, starting with the realignment and upgrading of 15 km of the existing Kranskop district road to accommodate heavy turbine components. Additionally, 41 km of new internal access roads are being constructed, supported by extensive blasting and cut-and-fill earthworks to adapt to the local terrain.

A new digital platform developed at the Sibanye-Stillwater Digital Mining Laboratory (DigiMine) within the Wits Mining Institute is offering a practical solution to one of the mining sector’s most persistent challenges: building trust with the communities located near mining operations.

The platform, known as the Intelligent Community Dialogue Agent (ICDA), is being developed in collaboration with local and international partners as part of the MASTERMINE project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme.

According to Dr. Ahsan Mahboob, Head of DigiMine and principal investigator on the ICDA project, many of the most pressing challenges facing the mining industry today are not technical or operational, but social. “The most complex challenges facing mining companies today are no longer technical or geological, but social, particularly in how they manage their impact on local communities and the surrounding environment,” said Dr. Mahboob.

He explained that while many mining companies recognise the importance of responsible community engagement, there is often a gap between intention and effective action. The ICDA aims to close that gap by enabling structured, two-way communication and transparent, responsive interaction. “Addressing these tensions requires more than outreach. It demands consistent, transparent, and reciprocal engagement. Communities must feel that their concerns are not only heard but responded to with clarity and urgency,” he said.

We have strengthened our global presence with the addition of a state-of-the-art facility in Wolfenbüttel, Germany.”

AECI Mining is exhibiting at the 13th EFEE World Conference on Explosives and Blasting at the ICE Kraków Congress Centre. Delegates can visit the AECI Mining team at Stand 50, where they will showcase their latest innovations and engage with industry peers and partners.

At the centre of this year’s showcase is a significant milestone in the company’s global journey: the commissioning of a new emulsifier and coatings manufacturing facility in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. For the first time, AECI is producing emulsifiers and coatings in Europe. This strategic shift enables the business to better serve its international customer base with increased proximity, reliability, and responsiveness.

Previously, emulsifier and coatings production was centralised at AECI’s flagship Umbogintwini (Umbog) plant in South Africa, with products exported worldwide. The addition of the Wolfenbüttel site marks a significant expansion of AECI Mining’s global footprint, strengthening its ability to meet customer needs across Europe and beyond.