Emu (ASX: EMU) is poised to begin its maiden drilling program at the Yataga Valley copper-silver project near Georgetown this week.

It follows an extensive program of geological mapping, geochemical sampling, geophysical interpretation and drill target generation.

“Commencement of drilling marks an important milestone for Emu as we transition from project evaluation into active exploration at Yataga Valley,” managing director and chief executive officer Doug Grewar said.

“Over recent months the team has completed a significant amount of technical and logistical preparation, and we are now ready to begin testing what we believe is a highly prospective copper-silver system.”

Monadelphous (ASX: MND) has secured a three-year contract to provide multidisciplinary services at Santos’ upstream field development and production operations in Queensland. The contract carries two one-year extension options.

Monadelphous has also been awarded a contract with Santos for the construction of temporary camp facilities associated with the APF Tie-In Project in the Southern Highlands region of Papua New Guinea, with work expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

Breakthrough Minerals (ASX: BTM) has appointed Tom O’Rourke as joint company secretary, joining existing company secretary Joel Ives.

Mr O’Rourke is a chartered accountant with over 16 years’ experience in both private and public companies.

Breakthrough holds a package of former Aeris Resources tenements in North-West Queensland, with key assets including the Hazel Creek and Barbara deposits and the mothballed Mount Colin mine.

Ian Burnham Mitchell has retired as a director of Sandy Mitchell rare earths project developer Ark Mines (ASX: AHK).

Mr Mitchell joined the board in December 2010 and is one of the company’s two longest-serving directors.

Ian White, who is the company’s chief financial officer and an additional company secretary, will take a more active role in the secretarial affairs of Ark.

Thiess has mobilised a fourth Liebherr R 9800 excavator to support ongoing operations at Jellinbah Group’s Lake Vermont mine in Central Queensland.

“The mobilisation of a fourth R 9800, Liebherr’s largest flagship excavator, ensures the site has the capacity and capability to deliver operations safely and efficiently,” Thiess general manager – Australia East Nick Brown said.

“The excavator moves around 3,000 bank cubic metres (BCM) per hour – equivalent to 16.8 million BCM annually – enabling us to support the project’s long-term production strategy.”

The deployment reflects Thiess’ long-standing partnership with Liebherr, which sees 10 R 9800s operating across Thiess Group projects globally, including the four at Lake Vermont.