Latest Critical Minerals Supply Chain News

Castile Resources has kicked off pilot plant bench scale testing for its Rover 1 project, integrating a 41% resource upgrade and higher metal prices into its Bankable Feasibility Study. The company also secured $8.4 million in funding and is preparing for exploration drilling amid regional consolidation.

Mandrake Resources has identified overlapping placer claims staked by Utah Brine Corporation, linked to Neometals Ltd, on its Utah Lithium Project tenure. Legal demands have been issued to resolve the dispute, which affects a small portion of Mandrake’s 3.3Mt LCE resource.

Ionic Rare Earths (ASX: IXR) has secured a £12 million UK government grant offer for its Belfast rare earth magnet recycling facility and is progressing its Brazilian JV and Ugandan heavy rare earths project, reinforcing its role in ex-China supply chains.

American Rare Earths is fast-tracking its Wyoming Halleck Creek rare earths project, defining a pilot plant pathway, advancing oxide to metal studies, and targeting a NASDAQ listing by year-end 2026.

KGL Resources delivers a robust Baseline Economic Model for its Jervois Copper-Silver-Gold Project, highlighting a pre-tax NPV8 of A$1.226 billion and a 37% IRR, underpinning imminent project financing and construction plans.

Megado Minerals confirms robust copper and silver grades over 7km at its Iberian Copper Project and secures a five-year option for the high-grade Alpartir Silver-Copper-Antimony Project, positioning itself for a drilling campaign backed by Spanish government funding.

American Tungsten & Antimony Ltd (ASX: AT4) has joined the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium, unlocking direct access to Department of War programs and funding opportunities for its antimony and tungsten projects. The company will leverage this to advance its U.S.-focused supply chain ambitions, highlighted by a critical minerals event in Utah this May.

Locksley Resources has kicked off maiden diamond drilling at its Desert Antimony Mine and El Campo Rare Earth Element Prospect, alongside producing 99.5% purity antimony trioxide, reinforcing its push for a US domestic critical minerals supply chain.

VHM Limited has raised A$5 million through a discounted institutional placement to accelerate early engineering and procurement for its Goschen Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project ahead of a mid-2026 Final Investment Decision.

Tivan Limited has delivered a pivotal feasibility study for its Speewah Fluorite Project, secured tranche funding totalling $16.3 million, and gained recognition from Japan and US governments as a key fluorite supplier. Concurrently, it expanded its portfolio with acquisitions and high-grade discoveries across tungsten and copper-gold projects.

Battery Age Minerals has joined the U.S. Defense Industrial Base Consortium, positioning itself at the forefront of securing critical germanium supply amid escalating export restrictions from China. The company’s dual-continental assets in Austria and Utah and its technology initiatives aim to address strategic vulnerabilities in defence and semiconductor supply chains.

Axel REE Limited has achieved a key operational milestone in its in situ recovery (ISR) development at the Woolrich deposit within the Caladão Project, confirming strong rare earth element leach performance under low-impact magnesium sulphate conditions.