MLG lands WA contracts worth $20m

Core Lithium (ASX: CXO) will begin open pit mining and ore production at its Grants deposit in May as it advances the restart of its Finniss lithium operation in the Northern Territory.The restart has been supported by the award of a $50m surface mining services contract to NRW (ASX: NWH), alongside the start of the BP33 box cut and civil infrastructure site works.Core Lithium managing director Paul Brown says the award of the Grants open pit mining contract marks a key step in the restart of the Finniss lithium operation.“Grants provides a low risk, near term source of ore using existing infrastructure, enabling a rapid and capital efficient pathway back into production,” he said.“With mobilisation commencing immediately, this contract underpins our restart schedule and near term cash generation objectives.“With final investment decision approval and funding now in place, our focus is firmly on delivery. This contract positions Finniss to deliver the first spodumene concentrate in the December quarter.“We are making strong progress across the balance of our restart workstreams, and we expect to finalise additional key contracts in the near-term as we bring Finniss back into production.”The November 2025 updated mine plan increased ore reserves for Grants by 33% to 1.53mt at 1.42% lithium oxide, lifting contained lithium oxide by 44%.The Grants open pit is expected to supply near term ore feed for the Finniss processing plant, enabling an accelerated production timeline at a lower initial capital cost, according to Core.Core expects the BP33 underground development to support the operation’s transition to long-life, high-margin underground operations.

Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN) has delivered strong H1 FY26 results, with net profit after tax more than doubling to $766.6m from the year before as the gold price surged through Q2. Underlying profit after tax hit a record $785.2m, while earnings per share rose 107% to 37.96c, reflecting the strong gold price environment. Consistent operational performance delivered gold and copper production of 365,000oz and 36,000t, in line with guidance.  Evolution says it is on track to deliver 710,000-780,000oz of gold but is expecting to come in towards the lower end of its copper guidance due to a Q2 weather event at Ernest Henry. Off the back of these results, Evolution Mining has updated its Northparkes streaming deal with Triple Flag Precious Metals, securing an additional $120m refundable deposit due December 15. The revised deal also cuts the stream rate over the E44 deposit, reducing Triple Flag’s take to 25% of payable gold and 37.5% of payable silver. Evolution managing director and chief executive Lawrie Conway says this marks a major milestone for the Northparkes operation, where the miner has now established a pathway to unlock even more value.  “To achieve this, we needed to have full alignment with Triple Flag on how this value can be realised,” he said. “Triple Flag has demonstrated throughout our discussions, a commitment to jointly work on unlocking this potential.” Triple Flag chief executive and director Sheldon Vanderkooy says the gold potential of the Northparkes land package in this higher gold price environment is immense. “I want to congratulate the Evolution team for the significant value they have created at Northparkes through approval of the E22 block cave, commencement of a pre-feasibility study to evaluate the potential of a material expansion of Northparkes mill processing capacity, and the potential development of the E44 gold open pit,” he said. “We are pleased to provide additional development funding to Evolution for guaranteed minimum gold and silver deliveries from the gold-dominant E44 deposit, which will create value for the shareholders of both Evolution and Triple Flag.” The Evolution board has approved the development of the E22 block cave with a capital investment of $545m. The miner expects the operation to generate a rate of return of 28% at base case metal prices or 38% at upside metal prices. 

Zenith Energy has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply Northern Star’s (ASX: NST) Kalgoorlie consolidated gold mines (KCGM) in WA. 

The Queensland Government has declared the proposed $2.3b Eva copper mine a large resource project under the Strong and Sustainable Resource Communities Act 2017.The declaration means, if approved, the project must employ a percentage of its workforce locally and prioritise local procurement, ensuring long-term social and economic benefits for the surrounding Mt Isa and Cloncurry communities.Located 75km north of Cloncurry and 95km northeast of Mount Isa, the Eva project is expected to produce an average of 60,000tpa of copper and 19,000ozpa of gold over a 15?year mine life.Copper concentrate extracted at the project will be processed locally at Glencore’s Mount Isa copper smelter, supporting existing industrial capability in the region.Queensland Deputy Premier and State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie has also extended Eva’s prescribed project declaration, providing additional certainty and streamlined approval pathways.The extension allows the coordinator general an additional two years, until March 25, 2028, to continue providing coordinated support and fast-tracking approvals to keep the project moving.Deputy Premier Bleijie says the Queensland Government is focused on delivering a better lifestyle through a stronger economy, by supporting projects that deliver jobs, investment and long-term regional benefits.“Eva copper has the potential to be Queensland’s biggest copper mine, and we want to ensure the communities closest to the project share directly in its success,” he said.“Declaring Eva copper a large resource project strengthens local employment opportunities, supports regional businesses and ensures long term benefits for Mount Isa and Cloncurry.”The project, owned by Harmony Gold, is anticipated to generate up to 1000 construction jobs and 450 ongoing operational roles, delivering a major boost to the region’s workforce and economy.Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell says Eva’s designation as a large resource project would assist local efforts to ensure benefits for the Cloncurry community.“We want to make sure the project not only generates long-term economic benefits throughout our local supply chains but also creates social and community benefits for our residents,” he said.Forecast to inject more than $17b into Queensland’s economy, first copper concentrate is expected to be delivered to the Mount Isa smelter in 2028.Harmony Gold chief development officer Johannes Van Heerden says the company welcomes the Queensland Government decisions.“As a Tier 1 Mining jurisdiction, Queensland offers coordination support and a stable regulatory framework that has helped Eva copper move forward through planning and into construction with certainty,” he said.