ASX-listed Nova Minerals’ US subsidiary Alaska Range Resources (ARR) has secured $43.4-million from the US Department of War to develop a domestic supply chain for antimony – a critical mineral used in munitions, semiconductors and energy systems.

The funding, awarded under the Defense Production Act Title III programme, will support the production of military-grade antimony trisulphide at Nova’s Estelle gold and critical minerals project in Alaska. 

Nova CEO Christopher Gerteisen said the award marked a milestone in US attempts to establish a secure, redundant supply chain for critical defence inputs.

“We are proud to have ARR partner with US Department of War to help secure a fully domestic, redundant supply chain for the munitions and other defence products our troops need to keep our nation and allies safe, as well as future supply to the US industrial base for a wide range of traditional and high-tech applications, including semiconductors and energy systems,” Gerteisen said.

“This award will fund the initial phase of the company’s strategy to establish a full spectrum, state-of-the-art antimony mining and refining hub based in Alaska to supply refined antimony products to the US industrial base and beyond. After conducting rigorous vetting and technical due diligence of the Estelle project, ARR is proud to be the recipient of this award, which provides further confidence in the quality of antimony mineralisation and highlights the potential scale and scope of future antimony production from the Estelle project.”

Antimony is considered essential for US national security but has had little domestic production since the closure of the Stibnite mine in Idaho decades ago.The Estelle project, located 150 km north-west of Anchorage in Alaska’s Tintina gold belt, could re-establish a North American source. The belt hosts some of the world’s largest gold mines and historic antimony deposits.

The Stibnite mine is also in the process of being re-opened.

Gerteisen credited strong political backing for the project’s momentum. “The company appreciates the support and partnership of Alaska's federal and state leaders, particularly Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, Congressman Begich and Governor Dunleavy,” he said.

“The Estelle project will play a central role in this effort where Alaska will be at the heart of the country’s supply of critical materials, and we look forward to working closely with our local partners from the University of Alaska Fairbanks CORE-CM group, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and Alaska Tribes and Native Corporations to bring Estelle into production.”

The award funds the first phase of Estelle’s development, with Nova planning to create an integrated mining and refining hub. Alongside its antimony ambitions, Estelle also contains two multimillion-ounce gold resources and multiple advanced prospects across a 35 km mineralised corridor.