Bioleaching has been part of the mining industry fordecades, using naturally occurring microorganisms to extract metals from ores and concentrates. Yet as demand for copper, critical minerals and strategic resources grows, the technology is attracting renewed attention.

Declining ore grades, rising environmental pressures andvast quantities of historical mine waste are forcing mining companies to rethink how resources are extracted and processed. Advocates argue that bioleaching could help unlock value from lower-grade deposits, tailings andcomplex mineral systems while reducing reliance on more energy-intensive processing routes.

We speak with Priit Joers, Chief Scientific Officer at BiotaTec, BacTech CEO Ross Orr and ekolive founder Darina Štyriaková about the state of the bioleaching sector, the challenges of commercial deployment, the opportunities emerging in mine waste recovery, and what the future may hold for microbial mineral processing.

Alejandro Gonzalez, editor of Mining Technology and MINEmagazine, is the host of this episode of Energy Technology: Industry Insights.

Find more news and strategic insights into all things energyon Power Technology, Offshore Technology and Mining Technology, all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

(00:00) Intro

(01:35) Bioleaching: how it works

(05:05) Industrial adoption

(07:10) Downstream and tailings

(11:20) What's next?

Last week, European power industry leaders and policymakers gathered in Helsinki for Eurelectric's Power Summit 2026 to discuss the sector's most pressing challenges.

Energy systems are facing unprecedented threats. We’re seeing a massive spike in power demand, driven largely by data centers and industrial electrification; navigating a volatile geopolitical landscape and with it, having to secure reliable, independent supply and defend critical infrastructure against emerging hybrid attacks; and all this with increasing pressures to both decarbonise and digitalise.

So, what needs to be done to ensure Europe’s competitiveness on the global stage?

Featuring insights from:

• Alexander Stubb, President of Finland
• Kingsmill Bond, Energy Strategist at Ember
• Rory Stewart, Co-host of The Rest is Politics
• Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Oxford
• Oonagh Buckley, Secretary General of Ireland's Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment
• Miguel G. Torreira, Global Lead for Commodity Markets at Accenture
• Ralf Blumenthal, SVP Europe at Siemens Grid Software
• Kristian Ruby, Secretary General at Eurelectric
• Urs Pennanen, SVP of Corporate Customers at Fortum
• Linda-Maria Wadman, CCO of Plexigrid
• Talal Eskandar, Executive Managing Director at Reactive Technologies Limited
• Mircea Stremtan, Sales Director at SentryOT

Jackie Park⁠, editor-in-chief of GlobalData's energy titles, is the host and producer of this episode.

Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on ⁠Mining Technology⁠, ⁠Offshore Technology⁠ and ⁠Power Technology⁠ , all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

(00:00) Intro

(00:58) Industrial electrification

(03:47) Supply security and geopolitical resilience

(07:22) AI in power

(10:20) Optimism for the future

(11:57) Lessons from Nordic energy systems

Resources from this episode:

• Find entire session recordings on Eurelectric's YouTube channel
• See Power Couples report referenced by Kristian Ruby

Modern offshore wind farms aren't just growing in numbers – they are literally growing, scaling up turbines in sizes we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. We’ve officially entered the era of super size wind.

We’re seeing colossal wind turbines deployed across the world that surpass 15MW per unit and boast rotor diameters wider than the height of most skyscrapers. But while the engineering is inspiring, industry still has its hesitations about this rapid race for scale.

We’re unpacking the reality behind these giants. Is bigger really better? What does going big mean in terms of the economics, operations and maintenance, and supply chain? And what will market competition look like with Chinese OEMs now developing designs that are over 25MW while also driving down costs?

Joining us to share their insights is Jim Rijks, engineering manager at Iberdrola Australia and future energy leader at the World Energy Council, and Abhilash Palakkil, principal engineer at GHD.

Jackie Park⁠, editor-in-chief of GlobalData's energy titles, is the host and producer of this episode.

Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on ⁠Mining Technology⁠, ⁠Offshore Technology⁠ and ⁠Power Technology⁠ , all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

(00:00) Intro

(01:21) Overview: why go big?

(02:14) Innovations and constraints

(04:36) The economics

(06:17) Installation, operations and maintenance

(09:05) Supply chain

(11:33) Market competition

(12:34) Is bigger the future?