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Cobalt Blue Holdings has announced that its Broken Hill cobalt project in New South Wales, Australia, has been awarded a three-year extension of major project status by the Commonwealth Industry Minister.

The designation, initially granted in March 2022, recognises the project’s potential to enhance Australia’s resources and critical minerals sector.

Major project status provides additional Commonwealth Government regulatory support for projects deemed of national significance for their contribution towards strategic priorities, economic growth, employment and regional development in the country.

The extension is expected to enhance the prospects for Broken Hill to advance into development and has positive implications for Cobalt Blue’s other initiatives, including the Kwinana Cobalt Refinery and the Broken Hill Technology Centre.

Cobalt Blue CEO Andrew Tong stated: “Major project status acknowledges the strategic significance of the Broken Hill cobalt project in the delivery of the Australian Government’s A Future Made in Australia agenda, as well as the critical minerals strategy and the national battery strategy.”

Meeka Metals has announced that its Murchison gold project in WA has poured its first gold as scheduled, within 12 months of breaking ground.

The project is now ramping up its site activities with open pit mining underway and underground mining set to begin later this year.

Meeka Metals managing director Tim Davidson stated: “We are now focused on ramping up gold production toward our targeted 80koz per annum with the arrival of the third dig fleet and expanded open pit mining plan underway, and first ore from underground at Andy Well in the September 2025 quarter.”

Murchison is Meeka Metals’ flagship venture with a substantial high-grade mineral resource of 1.2 million ounces (moz) at 3g/t Au across two granted mining leases. The project’s focus is on three deposits: Andy Well, Turnberry and St. Anne’s.

According to the definitive feasibility study, released in December 2024, a ten-year production plan envisages producing an average of 65,000 oz of gold per annum for the first seven years.

Energy Fuels, a US-based uranium and rare earth elements (REE) producer, has announced the final major regulatory approval for the Donald rare earth and mineral sand project in Victoria.

This approval from the Government of Victoria allows the project to proceed with financing arrangements before a final investment decision.

The Donald Project is a joint venture between Energy Fuels and Australia-based Astron, where Energy Fuels can invest A$183m ($119m) plus $17.5m in common shares to earn up to a 49% interest in the project.

The project is set to provide Energy Fuels with a long-term supply of monazite and xenotime-bearing REE mineral concentrate (REEC), which will be processed in the US at the company’s White Mesa Mill in Utah.

Expected to commence production as early as 2026, the project will supply Energy Fuels with 7,000–8,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of REEC in phase one. The phase two expansion will increase production to approximately 13,000–14,000tpa of REEC.

Polymetals Resources has started continuous production of saleable silver-lead and zinc concentrates from its Endeavor mine in New South Wales. 

Following an eight-month refurbishment programme, the Endeavor processing plant is now operational. 

The processing plant has a capacity of 1.2 million tpa and features a two-stage crushing plant, three ball mills, a lead/zinc flotation circuit, thickeners, filtration, chemical, and concentrate storage facilities. 

The company will export zinc concentrate in parcels, each weighing 10,000 dry metric tonnes (dmt), from Berth 29 in Adelaide, with initial silver-lead concentrate exports in 5,000dmt parcels. 

Located 40km north of Cobar in central-western NSW, the Endeavor mine is an underground operation in the Cobar Basin, second in size only to the CSA Copper mine. The mine was acquired by Polymetals in 2023.

NeoSmelt has received A$19.8m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to support the front-end engineering design study for its pilot plant in Kwinana, WA.

The project aims to develop Australia’s largest ironmaking electric smelting furnace to demonstrate a method for producing molten iron with reduced carbon emissions.

Managed by BlueScope, NeoSmelt comprises other project founders BHP and Rio Tinto, and two new equity participants: Woodside Energy and Mitsui Iron Ore Development. All five participants hold equal equity stakes.

The funding complements a A$75m contribution from the WA Government in 2024.

The feasibility study for the project is currently ongoing and will inform a final investment decision expected in 2026. The pilot plant, expected to begin operations in 2028, is projected to produce 30,000-40,000 tonnes of molten iron annually.