Halo Minerals said its Chilean subsidiary Minera Playa Verde has been granted a key mining permit for the Playa Verde copper and gold tailings processing project in northern Chile. The permit, under Article 17 No. 1 of the Chilean Mining Code, authorises dredging of mineral bearing material at Chanaral beach, including within the urban area, and follows environmental approval granted in October 2025. The project holds JORC ore reserves of 33.9 million tonnes containing 83,626 tonnes of in situ fine copper, and the permit moves it toward a final investment decision.
APA Group has made a final investment decision on the Bulloo Interlink Pipeline in Australia, committing 700 million Australian dollars, about 492 million United States dollars, following 220 million Australian dollars of early work committed in February. The roughly 340 kilometre pipeline will connect the South West Queensland Pipeline with the Moomba to Sydney Pipeline at up to 800 terajoules a day, underpinned by a five year take or pay agreement with Origin Energy from January 1, 2028. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2027, with commercial operations targeted for winter 2029. The item reached the mining pool via Mining Weekly; it is energy infrastructure that serves gas supply to mining regions rather than a mine.
In Washington, a bipartisan Senate permitting proposal introduced on September 30 would expand categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act, cut the window for certain legal challenges to 150 days from a potential six years, and extend water discharge permits from five to ten years, according to a Pillsbury analysis reported by Mining.com. The bill has not been voted on in either chamber, and its sponsors anticipate consideration after the November midterm elections.
The United States Commerce Department plans to invest up to 389 million dollars in semiconductor materials and advanced power technologies across four companies, including up to 56 million dollars for Sibelco to develop purification technology for ultra high purity quartz used in chip manufacturing. The awards are preliminary, subject to letters of intent, and recipients would provide the government with minority, non voting equity stakes.
In Ghana, managers at the Damang gold mine rejected claims the operation only treats stockpiles, reporting more than 12 million tonnes extracted in six months with fresh material supplying 60 percent of plant feed, and an engineer at the site said the mine can operate for 15 more years with the right investment. The mine also plans an airstrip project costing at least 80 million dollars and a community share of gold output, according to local reporting.
In Liberia, civil society organisations have drafted a mining law reform proposal, reported on October 23, while Ivanhoe issued a leadership announcement the same day. The reform draft follows Liberia’s mining law overhaul coverage earlier this month and keeps the country’s licensing and local benefit rules in motion.
Nippon Steel will spend 3 billion dollars on equipment upgrades at United States Steel plants, Nikkei reported, a steel investment that sits downstream of iron ore and coking coal demand. Separately, Sandvik will supply trucks, loaders and a jumbo drill to Northern Star Resources, and Northern Star procured Toro loaders and trucks from Sandvik in a parallel award reported the same morning.