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South Africa is hosting BHP's biggest-ever explorer-technology-data bootcamp South Africa is hosting the most intensive mineral systems thrust ever conducted by the exploration advancement programme being innovatively implemented by major mining company BHP. Brought together under the Xplor banner are junior exploration companies, geoscience organisations, and technology teams that collectively span the currently crucial discovery system. Next story, Ivanhoe, Gécamines, Mercuria in advanced discussions to supply the US with critical minerals TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines has confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) State-owned mining company Gécamines and metals and energy trader Mercuria to supply the US with critical minerals contained within the concentrate produced by the ultrahigh-grade Kipushi zinc/copper/lead/germanium/gallium mine, in the DRC. The confirmation was announced to the market after Ivanhoe founder and co-chairperson Robert Friedland on February 2 met with US President Donald Trump and other US government officials, as well as executives from various mining and manufacturing companies, in the White House Oval Office as part of the launch of Project Vault – a $12-billion domestic critical minerals stockpile. In other news, Glencore in talks to sell 40% stake in DRC mines to US-backed consortium Glencore is in talks to sell a 40% stake in its copper and cobalt operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a US-backed consortium in a deal valuing the assets at about $9-billion including debt, it said on Tuesday. The Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC), led by private equity fund Orion Resource Partners and the US International Development Finance Corporation, is seeking a combined 40% stake in Glencore's Mutanda Mining and Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) projects, the companies said. Also making headlines, SPONSORED POST Webinar to unpack how new technologies are transforming mine productivity, safety Creamer Media will host its New Mining Technologies webinar on February 25 at 14:00, focusing on how cutting-edge machinery, digital tools and specialist know-how are driving efficiency gains across the mining value chain. link Next story, Revised study confirms A$1.4bn free cash flow from TGME project Australia-listed Theta Gold Mines has delivered an uplift in the value of its TGME gold mine project in Mpumalanga, South Africa, following the completion of a revised feasibility study confirming post-tax free cash flow of A$1.4-billion over a 13.1-year life-of-mine (LoM). The updated study outlines a high-margin, long-life operation based on a 6.1-million-ounce gold resource and positions TGME as a potential future midtier producer in one of South Africa's premier gold regions. In other news, Harmony on track to meet full-year guidance; higher gold prices boosts cash flow Gold and copper producer Harmony Gold Mining Company has announced that it expects to report a solid financial performance for the six-month period ended December 31, 2025, supported by elevated gold prices and continued strong free cash flow generation. Harmony, in a media release, explains that operational performance in the second quarter of its 2026 financial year was impacted on by mill motor failure and a deferment of the final gold shipment at the Hidden Valley operation, in Papua New Guinea, to January. Also making headlines, Implats to report significant rise in earnings on the back of higher dollar PGM prices Platinum group metals (PGMs) miner Impala Platinum (Implats) expects to report a 392% to 411% year-on-year increase in headline earnings and headline earnings per share (HEPS) and a 387% to 407% year-on-year increase in earnings and earnings per share (EPS) for the six months ended December 31. Both headline and basic earnings are expected to be between R9.10-billion and R9.45-billion, and HEPS and EPS between R10.15 and R10.54, respectively. Next story, Jones to retire as Tha...

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. South Africa is hosting the most intensive mineral systems thrust ever conducted by the exploration advancement programme being innovatively implemented by major mining company BHP. Brought together under the Xplor banner are junior exploration companies, geoscience organisations, and technology teams that collectively span the currently crucial discovery system. Selected for this year's BHP Xplor are ten early-stage exploration and technology companies, making it the programme's largest-ever cohort. Moreover, it is also the first time ever that a BHP Xplor bootcamp has been conducted outside of Australia or Canada. "We're really excited about being here," BHP group exploration officer Tim O'Connor enthused to Mining Weekly from Cape Town. "The cohort is with us here. I've got most of my leadership team here. Hopefully most of them will go to Mining Indaba next week, meet some of the vendors to understand the local environments that we have here and across Africa, which will be very exciting. "But this week, we've come together to talk about things like geology. We'll talk about our view of mineral systems that we've got from our work around the world. We talk about business strategy and how we run programmes safely and sustainably. "Later on, we'll bring the cohort together, and we'll talk about things like external networks and vendors and introduce members to the sorts of partners that they might need, the sorts of vendors they might need to accelerate. Lastly, at the end, we'll talk about scaling up. These aren't just ideas and explorers; these are companies that need to know how to sustain through the long term. "We work with them, and they work with each other to help to define what scaling up actually looks like, and how do they move faster. "Working collectively is what helps to make the programme successful. By the end of it, we know that we wouldn't have had that idea ourselves and put some money into it to see if we can accelerate the idea further through drilling or geophysics, or what have you, and we're still working through the beginning parts of the first few cohorts right now. "What also makes this year special is that we have a company from South Africa. We're pleased to be partnering with Orion Minerals on the ideas they have within the Northern Cape, and looking at older geology in new ways, bringing some of our expertise. Orion's technical depth in the region is something that we're excited to explore together over the next nine months," O'Connor explained. As part of the programme, a number of Orion's South African exploration project companies will receive an aggregate equity-free grant of $500 000, access to BHP's technical specialists, and structured support to advance geological concepts at the company's Northern Cape exploration projects in South Africa. What is very interesting is that the possibility of deeper copper-centric metal systems in South Africa's Northern Cape will be intensively probed. Orion is advancing a portfolio of copper and zinc assets in South Africa's Northern Cape and through Xplor, it will have the chance to apply modern data analytics and innovative mineral systems thinking across its large tenement package, which could assist the company to identify new discovery opportunities beyond known deposits. O'Connor made strong reference to the quickly evolving nature of exploration and highlighted that new tools, better data, and different ways of working are changing how early-stage ideas are tested and refined. He spoke of this year's cohort reflecting that shift while bringing together explorers and technology developers who are approaching discovery in thoughtful and practical ways. "Xplor gives us a valuable opportunity to learn alongside them...

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. The latest compliant mineral resource estimate of the Witwatersrand Basin project of Sydney-listed West Wits Mining is up 2.2-million ounces, which strengthens the gold revival of Johannesburg, South Africa's historic Golden City, still further. The project is situated about 15 km west of Joburg's central business district, in Gauteng province. The updated estimate follows the granting of new prospecting right (PR) 10839, which is described as providing "a seamless depth extension to the company's existing mining footprint, together with a revision to cut-off grade reflecting the materially higher gold price environment". This timely resource uplift further enhances the scale, quality and longevity of the Witwatersrand Basin project, reinforcing its position as one of the largest undeveloped, high-grade gold systems under development in South Africa Now classified as measured and indicated is a 55%-higher four-million ounces of gold that presents mine planning optionality. Providing natural depth extension to the Qala Shallows gold mine is the addition by PR 10839 of 1.2-million ounces at 4.38 g/t of gold. At a gold price of $2 850/oz, the lower cut-off grade being applied unlocks an additional one-million ounces of gold, highlighting the robust nature of the project and upside to the higher gold price environment. The first gold pour from Qala Shallows in on track for next month. An institutional share placement funds Qala Shallows development to 70 000 oz of steady-state production a year. "The grant of PR 10839 provides a seamless depth extension to Qala Shallows, exactly where we want future tonnes and ounces to come from. Importantly, more than half of the global mineral resource is in the measured and indicated categories, which underpins confidence in our development strategy and future growth of ore reserves. "Coupled with our recently completed institutional capital raise, West Wits is in a strong position to advance Qala Shallows to steady-state production while simultaneously progressing studies aimed at expanding production and mine life of this top-tier orebody." Key contributors to development have included Bara Consulting, the independent mining engineers who undertook the definitive feasibility study review and update; Modi Mining, the black economically empowered mining contractor; South Africa's public sector-owned Industrial Development Corporation and the private sector-owned Absa Bank as lenders for the syndicated loan facility; and precious metals mining company Sibanye-Stillwater, which is providing the Ezulwini process plant, which is located near Westonaria, also on the West Rand, as part of a toll treatment agreement for the processing of the gold ore mined by West Wits Mining. West Wits CEO Rudi Dysel highlighted the latest 2.2-million-ounce increase as confirmation of the scale, continuity and high-grade nature of the Witwatersrand Basin project and an advance that strengthens the company's long-term investment case. At its official opening last year, Qala Shallows was hailed by Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane as a new milestone for South Africa's mining industry, the South African economy, and the communities that will share in the opportunities created there. The estimate is now a 44%-higher 7.24-million ounces at a grade of 4 g/t of gold, West Wits, chaired by Michael Quinert, stated in a release to Mining Weekly on Monday, February 2.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. In a 60-page resources and reserves publication, diversified mining and marketing company Glencore has outlined its copper, zinc, nickel, ferroalloys, aluminium, coal and oil reserves spread across Africa, Australia and Americas. Large-scale copper operating assets and development projects in Africa and the Americas take up nine pages, which reflects the London- and Johannesburg-listed Glencore's growing copper portfolio. On the South African front, mineral resources and ore reserves are provided for four ferroalloys operating complexes as well as for coal. Among the ferroalloys complexes are Western Chrome Mines and Eastern Chrome Mines chromite complexes, the Rhovan vanadium operation, and the Mokala manganese mine in the Kalahari Manganese Field (KMF). These collectively mine stratiform chromitite and vanadiferous magnetite deposits within the Bushveld Complex, a layered mafic intrusion that hosts chrome, vanadium, and platinum group element mineralisation. The Western Chrome Mines mining complex has the operating Kroondal mine and the resource areas of Waterval and Klipfonten. Kroondal is an underground mine that exploits laterally continuous chromitite layers, primarily the LG6 seams, which occur as shallow-dipping tabular orebodies. Chrome ore mineralisation is hosted in discrete, solid chromitite layers with sharp contacts, characterised by regional grade consistency and continuity. The Eastern Chrome Mines consist of three operating underground mines focused on regionally extensive chromitite seams of the MG1 and MG2 packages, mined from shallow-dipping tabular orebodies in the eastern limb of the intrusion. Solid chromitite layers have consistent grades and thickness across the mining areas. Rhovan, an opencast vanadium operation, mines vanadium-bearing magnetite deposits within the Bushveld Complex. The mineral lease area is situated on gabbroic rock formations that host layered magnetite seams in the upper zone of the intrusion, forming shallow-dipping stratified magnetite orebodies at angles of six degrees to 25°. Rhovan's 2025 ore reserve depletion was 2.5-millon tons and life-of-mine based on the declared ore reserves is seven years with a mining right expiring in 2027. Mokala, an opencast manganese operation near Hotazel in South Africa's Northern Cape, within the KMF, has three stratiform upper, middle, and lower orebodies within the Hotazel Manganese formation. The high-grade mineralisation is in laterally continuous stratiform orebodies that vary in thickness from a few metres to more than 20 m, dipping gently up to about 12° to the west. Mokala's ore reserve depletion during 2025 in the ore reserves was 1.3-million tons. Based on the declared ore reserves Mokala's life-of-mine is 11 years. Glencore's South African coal assets are in the Mpumalanga province's coalfields taking in the Witbank, Highveld and Ermelo coalfields, which are part of the broader Karoo Basin coal measures on the Highveld. The coalfield extends about 180 km in an east–west direction between the towns of Belfast and Springs. Tweefontein, Goedgevonden, iMpunzi, which are active opencast mining operations, are situated near the town of Ogies within the Witbank coalfield. Oogiesfontein and Nooitgedacht are extension projects associated with Tweefontein, Goedgevonden, and iMpunzi. These assets are not yet operational with mining planned to comprise underground operations. Zonnebloem, located east of Middelburg in Mpumalanga province within the Witbank Coalfield, is currently non-operational, with mining planned for opencast operations. Paardekop, in southern Mpumalanga within the Highveld coalfield, is currently in prefeasibility. In Africa, KCC in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has metasedimentary ...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses the project office that Transnet and Richards Bay Coal Terminal have established; the benefits of the new automation at Richards Bay Coal Terminal; and the developments around Exxaro’s manganese movements.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Reflecting the ongoing benefits of simplified operating structures, London- and Johannesburg-listed Glencore on Thursday reported full-year key-commodity production volumes within guidance ranges. Second-half copper production at 500 000 t-plus was almost 50% above that of the first half. "Glencore's production update was stronger than expected," Barclays equity research analysts stated. The notable increases in Glencore's copper mineral resource base follow the pathway the company provided at its year-end Capital Markets Day towards becoming one of the world's largest producers over the next decade. In zinc, second-half volumes were an 8%-higher 39 000 t and on the coal front, 1.4 million more energy coal tonnes were produced as well as 1.1-million more steelmaking coal tonnes. "We expect to report full year 2025 marketing adjusted earnings before interest and tax around the mid-point of our recently upgraded (in July 2025) $2.3-billion to $3.5-billion per annum long-term through the cycle guidance range," Glencore CEO Gary Nagle stated in a release to Mining Weekly. Own-sourced copper production of 851 600 t was 11% below 2024, primarily owing to lower head grades and recoveries associated with mine sequencing and resultant ore feedstock to the plants, contributing to the reductions at Collahuasi, Antamina and Antapaccay. Copper production from the Mount Isa complex, recorded as part of the zinc department, reduced by 13 300 t reflecting closure of the MICO mine in mid-2025. Second-half own-sourced copper production was 48% higher on grade-related uplifts at KCC, Antamina and Antapaccay. Own-sourced cobalt production of 36 100 t was 5% lower than 2024, mainly reflecting proactive planning to prioritise copper production over cobalt, noting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) cobalt export restrictions. Fourth-quarter cobalt production was 2 000 t lower than in the third quarter of 2025. Own-sourced overall zinc production was a 7%-higher 969 400 t on higher zinc grades at Antamina and higher McArthur River production. Own-sourced nickel production was a 7%-lower 71 900 t as a result of lower production at INO and Murrin Murrin. Attributable ferrochrome production of 436 000 t was 730 000 t (63%) lower than the comparable 2024 period, reflecting the suspension of operations at the Boshoek smelter in May and the Wonderkop smelter in June. Operations at the Lion smelter are suspended for extended annual maintenance and planned furnace rebuilds. Underlying attributable chrome ore production of 3.6-million tonnes was in line with 2024. Steelmaking coal production of 32.5-million tonnes mainly comprises the Elk Valley Resources business acquired in July 2024, which produced 25.2-million tonnes compared with 12.5-million tonnes in 2024. Australian steelmaking coal production of 7.3-million tonnes was in line with 2024. Energy coal production of 98-million tonnes was 2% down on 2024 owing mainly to voluntary Cerrejón production cuts, partially offset by a stronger performance from the Australian business. Although the DRC, which lifted its cobalt export ban in the last quarter of last year, is ramping up its quota systems and controls, there were delays to initially intended fourth-quarter exports. As KCC and Mutanda did not export any cobalt in the fourth quarter, their 2025 quotas are available for use up to March 31. Glencore intends to export cobalt according to its allocations in 2026 and 2027, with DRC copper production being prioritised over cobalt, where it makes commercial sense. This strategy is expected to continue while the quotas are in effect. Cobalt in ore processed above sales quota levels, will either build as work in process inventory or be stored as final product in-country.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. The binding agreements of JSE-listed Exxaro Resources to acquire manganese assets advanced further on Thursday with the fulfilment of first transaction conditions. Exxaro has entered into binding agreements to acquire shares and claims in manganese assets held by Ntsimbintle Holdings and OM Holdings in a "transformational" R11.67-billion transaction. The involved assets, located within the globally significant Kalahari Manganese Field in the Northern Cape, comprise 74% of Ntsimbintle Mining; 19.99% of Jupiter; 100% of Ntsimbintle Marketing and Trading; 51% of Mokala; and 9% of Hotazel Manganese mines. Through the acquisition, Exxaro gains exposure to four operating mines, including 60.1% effective ownership in the Tshipi Borwa mine, 51% in Mokala and 9% in Hotazel Manganese Mines which operates the Mamatwan and Wessels mines. The acquisition of select manganese assets from Ntsimbintle and OM Holdings has become unconditional, Exxaro stated in a stock exchange announcement. The Mokala sale transaction remains subject to the fulfilment of the remaining suspensive conditions, with the long stop date also now February 27. Mining Weekly can report that a further announcement will be made regarding remaining suspensive conditions in due course. The broader strategy of Exxaro, headed by CEO Ben Magara, includes significant investments in renewable energy, including wind and solar; exploration of essential transition minerals such as manganese and copper; and the use of innovative technologies to enhance operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. The new automation at Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) in KwaZulu-Natal has begun with very efficient coal stacking and reclaiming processes that have millimeter accuracy. The stacker reclaimer, with no onboard operator, calculates the most productive way to stack coal while operators oversee the process safely from a central control room. Rather than air digging in and out of coal, the machine finds the most optimal way of continuously remaining in coal Digging efficiency is already up by 6.2%; electricity consumption, fuel use and dust emissions are down. By introducing Africa's first fully autonomous stacker reclaimer, RBCT is adhering to international best practices and securing long term competitiveness "We have the potential, we believe, probably achieve around eight per cent to ten per cent improvement overall," RBCT GM asset management Kubendren Naidoo outlined to visiting journalists during this week's media briefing attended by Mining Weekly. "We're in the process of further finetuning and optimising the project of machines while we roll out phase two, which is being approved for four machines in the current year. "We have the skills, the knowledge and the capabilities within the terminal which set the detailed specifications, methodologies and requirements and we were on time and under budget. "We took two weeks to roll out the technology on the machine, and a further two weeks to commission and optimise the machine," Naidoo pointed out. This year's phase 2 involves four stacker-reclaimer machines and the autonomous stockyard machine rollout plan for phase 3 in 2027 and phase 4 in 2028 has already been outlined. "Our commitment to our employees is that we will not retrench anybody as a result of automation," RBCT CEO Alan Waller emphasised. Established in 1976, RBCT turns 50 on April 1 as Africa's single largest coal terminal. With a 91-million tons a year capacity, RBCT last year exported a 10%-plus higher 57.66-million tons of coal and its budgeted rate for 2026 is 60-million tons and contracted rate 63-million tons "We're always trying to look at smarter, better, faster ways of handling coal to make sure we are a company of choice," said Naidoo.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. State-owned rail enterprise Transnet and private-sector owned Richards Bay Coal Termina (RBCT) have jointly agreed to establish a project office. This structured office will identify projects with the highest impact on coal export volume growth and efficiency and fast-track assessments and interventions where early wins can be realized. "When Transnet performs, we perform … that is how intertwined we are," RBCT chairperson Nosipho Damasane explained during her opening address at the RBCT media briefing in Richards Bay on Tuesday, January 27. "RBCT's success and the sustainability of the coal value chain is inextricably linked to the reliability, security and capacity of the rai. Network feeding into Richards Bay. "Without a stable rail system, volumes are constrained, costs rise and the country loses competitiveness," Damasane outlined to the journalists attending the media briefing attended by Mining Weekly. RBCT's collaborative approach to rail reform has involved the coal industry being fully behind the transformation agenda. "We have established a very good foundation. From the outset, we were deliberate and intentional on how we, as the private sector, will participate," Damasane explained. The journey began with a jointly funded technical study on the state of infrastructure to jointly understand the maintenance, refurbishment and investment needed on the network. Recognising the need for greater precision, advanced scanning and diagnostic assessments of rail has been carried out using gear rail, which identified bottlenecks, failure points and priority intervention zones where restoration would deliver the greatest reliability and throughput returns. An execution exercise is now being worked in to ensure that low hanging fruit is not missed and mega projects that will give...best value are implemented. Transnet has introduced policy and regulatory determinations that make it possible for RBCT, as a private sector entity, to strengthen the rail system in a structured, compliant and transparent manner. Since the end of 2025, RBCT and Transnet have been on a joint project planning and execution stage. It is on this foundation that the two have jointly agreed to establish the project office.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. A novel platinum development has resulted in the $2 per kilogram 2026 green hydrogen cost target being beaten. The new approach results in more hydrogen being obtained from less platinum and is also applicable to other platinum group metals such as iridium, palladium and ruthenium. The breakthrough by the Dongguk University of South Korea, published in Journal of the American Chemical Society and Angewandte Chemie, uplifts green hydrogen production through the platinum-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis route in a way that challenges fossil fuels. The big picture is that the economics of hydrogen to power cars, trucks, buses, ships, planes, commercial buildings, factories, homes, far-flung off-grid rural areas and so much more has been made more attractive as a result of research led by Dongguk University's Assistant Professor Jitendra N Tiwari and Professor Young-Kyu Han in Seoul, where, interestingly, the Global CEO Summit 2025 of the Hydrogen Council involving 140 big-name companies of the world's leading hydrogen-linked businesses, which have a collective market capitalisation of $9-trillion. Attendees of the summit, who were transported in hydrogen buses and hydrogen cars, witnessed for themselves the speed of vehicle refuelling that matches what today's conventional petrol and diesel refuelling stations provide. "In the long term, this will accelerate hydrogen adoption, contributing to the fight against climate change," Professor Han is quoted as saying in Fuel Cell Works dated January 21. No matter where one is in the world, sun, wind and water can potentially be turned into hydrogen and the far-reaching value of hydrogen's local accessibility on every continent is being highlighted more brightly than ever because of the very concerning risk that global geopolitics is adding to energy importation. Countries are again looking at the economics of producing energy for themselves, by themselves, rather than importing it, and doing what is better for the planet at the same time. Notably, the Dongguk University breakthrough, now widely publicised, surpasses the US Department of Energy's 2026 green hydrogen cost target, which indicates its application potential. The US Department of Energy set a primary 2026 goal of reducing clean hydrogen production costs to $2 per kilogram as part of its Hydrogen Energy Earthshot initiative. This target focuses on developing affordable, net-zero-carbon, and highly durable electrolyser technologies. The breakthrough now is that the final structure of the catalysts consists of single platinum atoms bonded to nitrogen atoms, atomically dispersed on graphitic nanosheets. Because each metal atom acts as an active catalytic site, these materials use precious metals far more efficiently than conventional catalysts, potentially lowering costs while improving performance. Asked by Mining Weekly to comment on Dongguk University's release, Heraeus Precious Metals global head of strategy and projects hydrogen systems Robert Marić had this to say: "Briefly, today's research and development efforts in PEM electrolysis – both in academia and industry – are still focused on improving iridium-based catalysts for the anode, as this is the main performance, stability and cost-driver. "Platinum-based cathode catalysts are usually not the bottleneck, especially at today's 'relatively high' platinum loadings. That said, the work of the Dongguk University still matters, as it shows a credible platinum group metals-thrifting route for future platinum-based cathodes. "They demonstrate an improved activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction with stable operation over 200 hours, compared with an industrial reference in application-relevant tests. "The overall...

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer unpacks the partnership between Rand Refinery and Ghana’s Gold Coast Refinery; Sasol and Valterra Platinum’s CEOs being part of one of the world’s biggest CEOs-only alliances; and experts calling the new blue diamond recovered at Cullinan one o

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed surface gold mining company DRDGOLD has, through its wholly owned Ergo subsidiary, disposed of its 100% interest in Stellar Energy Solutions to NOA Group Assets for R147.5-million cash. Headed by CEO Karel Cornelissen, NOA is a South African renewable energy independent power producer, aggregator and energy trader, with a trading licence from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa. DRDGOLD commenced the development of a 150 MWh solar plant in Polokwane, Limpopo, in collaboration with the Neethling family in 2023. The Stellar project is shovel-ready with most licences and approvals having been obtained, including the budget quote from Eskom. Stellar represents DRDGOLD's second initiative in the solar energy sector. During the 2025 financial year, the company successfully commissioned a 60 MWh solar plant and accompanying 160 MWh battery energy storage system at its Ergo gold recovery operation, near Brakpan in South Africa's Gauteng province. This facility provides 12 hours of off-grid power daily to Ergo, meeting half the operation's total power requirements. Surplus power fed into the national grid is credited by Eskom against Ergo's consumption. In addition to realising cost savings, DRDGOLD is earning credits from Eskom for this supply and will pursue carbon credits in due course. Abatement of about 182 000 t of CO2-equivalent is expected. Concurrent with the disposal is DRDGOLD's electricity supply agreement with NOA to provide 76 GWh a year of renewable energy, with supply starting in January 2028. This agreement advances DRDGOLD's objective of reducing its carbon footprint and aligns with the anticipated increased production profile under DRDGOLD's Vision 2028 growth strategy. The disposal enables DRDGOLD to realise value from the Stellar project while securing a long-term renewable energy supply agreement that supports the company's operational requirements and sustainability objectives. DRDGOLD's Vision 2028 aims to lift consolidated throughput to three-million tonnes a month and yearly production of 6 t of gold. Under Vision 2028, the company, headed by CEO Niël Pretorius, is investing about R8-billion over three years in five large projects to extend their operating lives by up to two decades, as well as to significantly increase throughput. At its Far West Gold Recoveries project, Phase 2 of the expansion continued throughout this year, including detailed engineering for the DP2 plant and a proposed carbon-in-leach circuit. The plant is being expanded to reach a throughput of 1.2-million tonnes a month, sourcing tailings from the Driefontein 3 and Libanon tailings dams. At Ergo, DRDGOLD is preparing to resume deposition at the Daggafontein tailings storage facility (TSF) and developing the Withok TSF to systematically replace the Brakpan TSF, with the latter operating at a reduced rate of 1.65-million tonnes a month. Mining Weekly can report that 2026 marks NOA's fourth year of operation in the private power sector, where the company is growing a pipeline of projects across multiple provinces. At its projects under construction, there have been initiatives by NOA and its engineering, procurement and construction partners to develop local communities and economies by employing local workers, enabling small businesses, improving local infrastructure, and supporting environmental education and school initiatives.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed South32 is targeting the copper-dominant Arctic project in the Ambler mining district of north-western Alaska with its Canada-based 50:50 joint venture (JV) exploration and development partner Trilogy Metals. "During the quarter, our Ambler Metals joint venture approved a $35-million work programme to advance the high-grade Arctic polymetallic deposit and test exploration targets within this underexplored, regional land package in Alaska," South32 CEO Graham Kerr disclosed in the diversified mining company's latest quarterly report released on Thursday, January 22. Mining Weekly can report that Ambler Metals, the operating company for the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects, has signed off on a 2026 programme that prioritises preparation of mine permit submissions for the Arctic project, while advancing engineering, environmental and technical work required to support a future final investment decision. The JV is targeting 2026 mine permit submissions and assessing the potential to leverage US federal expedited permitting frameworks, including FAST-41, which is a process of reducing environmental review timelines. Alongside the permitting push, Ambler Metals plans to continue technical and organisational derisking across the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects, with this year's exploration activities focusing primarily on the Arctic project and geotechnical and drilling programmes intended to support mine design, infrastructure placement and production planning. Also featuring in the 2026 programme is the Bornite project, with the JV is planning to reopen the Bornite camp during the summer field season. Work will include geotechnical and exploration drilling, as well as camp maintenance and capital improvements to enable multi-year use and future exploration campaigns. Ambler Metals will also re-establish an independent management team during 2026 to oversee the next phase of project advancement. This team will be tasked with progressing permitting for the Arctic project, executing critical drill programmes, advancing technical studies and strengthening community engagement, workforce development and local participation. SOUTH AFRICAN ALUMINIUM In South Africa, South32's half-year aluminium production increased by 2% amid the Hillside Aluminium operation in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, continuing to test its maximum technical capacity. Studies being undertaken on the future power source for South32's Hillside Aluminium beyond 2031 are taking place amid awareness of the different energy levers that can potentially be pulled for Hillside, the southern hemisphere's largest aluminium smelter. The power agreement, which extends to 2031, is providing time to study power options for Hillside, which draws on 1 140 MW virtually every minute of the day, every day of the week, every week of the year. The competitive smelter contributes nearly R10-billion to South Africa's GDP and public–private effort could ensure that the aluminium produced can benefit from the green price premium being paid for carbon-light aluminium. SOUTH AFRICA MANGANESE Manganese production increased by 58% in the December 2025 half-year, when Australia Manganese returned to normalised production rates and South Africa Manganese completed planned maintenance. South Africa Manganese is located in the manganese-rich Kalahari basin that hosts 80% of the world's manganese and is made up of the opencast Mamatwan mine, which began operating more than half a century ago, and the underground Wessels mine, which followed a few years later. The two mines are part of the Hotazel Manganese Mines consortium, in which South32 holds 44.4%. The remaining interest is held by Anglo America plc and broad-based black economic empo...

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. In a major advance that enables local refining of artisanal and small-scale (ASM) gold and elevates West Africa's responsible sourcing standards to a new high, South Africa's Rand Refinery, as Africa's leading London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) good delivery accredited refiner, has entered a strategic partnership with Ghana's Gold Coast Refinery to provide technical, operational and commercial supervision. As an LBMA-accredited refinery, Rand Refinery enforces strict, audited compliance to eliminate conflict gold, combat money laundering, and ensure environmental and social responsibility throughout its supply chain. In a media release to Mining Weekly, Rand Refinery CEO Dean Subramanian hailed the signing of the agreement as a momentous occasion and declared that Rand Refinery, as the leading LBMA good delivery accredited refiner on the continent, stood ready to support the aspirations of the Ghana government for local refining, through the partnership with the Accra-based Gold Coast Refinery, which has a refining capacity of more than 80 t of gold a year and scope to grow. Gold Coast Refinery, which was established in 2016, has signed an agreement with the government-owned Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) to meet responsibly mined and sourcing standards while refining up to 1 000 kg of ASM gold dore a week. The GoldBod is the sole entity authorised to buy, sell, and export gold from small-scale miners in Ghana. Subramanian expressed strong commitment to working with Gold Coast Refinery and Goldbod to implement the necessary framework and to ensure that the material sourced meets international responsible sourcing requirements. Interestingly, the Rand Refinery, which turns 106 later this year, prioritises sustainability through its "People, Planet, Product and Provenance" framework, which goes all out to ensure Africa's gold benefits local communities and reduces environmental impact. Through these strategic partnerships, South Africa's illustrious Rand Refinery will further strengthen the footprint that it has on the African continent, as the preferred refining partner that supports and enables local ASM refining while ensuring ethical sourcing and transparency. "We're committed to supporting and developing Africa's ASM sector as a key enabler of country economic growth," Subramanian emphasised in the release dated Tuesday, January 20, the day the LBMA reported at all-time high gold price of $4 747.80/oz.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. In an announcement to Mining Weekly from Brussels on Tuesday January 20, South Africa's Simon Baloyi, the CEO of Sasol, and South Africa's Craig Miller, the CEO of Valterra Platinum, featured prominently as board members of the Hydrogen Council, which is one of the world's biggest CEOs-only alliances and which is now strongly emphasising the take off of its next big delivery phase. In the words of Hydrogen Council co-chair Jaehoon Chang, who is also vice-chair of Hyundai Motor Group, "we stand at a pivotal moment for the scale-up of the hydrogen industry" and second co-chair François Jackow, who is also CEO of Air Liquide, declared the words "lead, build, and deliver" as the council's new mandate, As the newest board member, Baker Hughes CEO Lorenzo Simonelli hailed hydrogen as "a versatile, clean energy vector that we firmly believe has the potential to drive meaningful industrial outcomes, from fostering economic growth to reducing emissions and transforming power generation", while Hydrogen Council CEO Ivana Jemelkova let it be known that "strong projects are moving forward", with this month's alone including: Kawaski Heavy Industries signing an agreement with Japan Suiso Energy to build the world's largest liquefied hydrogen carrier, with a capacity of 40 000 m3. The vessel is designed to significantly increase liquefied hydrogen transport capacity and marks an important step toward scaling international hydrogen shipping infrastructure.Uniper signing a long-term binding offtake agreement with AM Green Group for up to 500 000 t/y of renewable ammonia from India, with first deliveries expected from 2028. The agreement helps anchor one of the first large-scale supply corridors between India and Europe and supports decarbonisation across chemicals, refining, and fertiliser value chains. Partial production starting at Egypt's 100 MW renewable hydrogen and ammonia project in Ain Sokhna. This project, which is being commissioned by Scatec ASA and backed by the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, Orascom Construction plc, and Fertiglobe, is designed to supply renewable hydrogen into ammonia production for export to Europe under long-term contracts supported by Germany's H2Global mechanism.SK Innovation announcing a $300-million investment alongside the Sylvan group to scale hydrogen mobility in South Korea through the SK Hyverse platform. The initiative plans to deploy 29 liquefied hydrogen refuelling hubs and support more than 6 000 hydrogen-powered buses by 2029, targeting high-utilisation public transport applications. Meanwhile, the Hydrogen Council is focused on unlocking demand through policy action, putting in place pragmatic regulations, building out infrastructure, aligning on global standards, and fostering strong public-private partnerships, with its announcement out of Brussels following closely on the heels of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa positioned green hydrogen at the centre of Africa's big energy opportunity and he did so during a top-level, on-stage interface with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It also follows Miller's B20 and G20 drive around Johannesburg in a platinum-based fuel cell electric Toyota Mirai, which was fuelled by hydrogen from Sasol, dispensed by Air Products. In addition, South Africa's women-led Bambili Energy provided locally manufactured membrane electrode assemblies needed in the fuel cells that German giant Bosch provided. With BMW, these companies are all collaborating partners within a key mine-to-market green mobiity ecosystem. Interestingly, Toyota Motor Corporation is also Hydrogen Council board member, along with an alliance of 140 big-name companies that have a collective market capitalisati...