USA Rare Earth confirmed this week that it has a letter of intent with the federal government that gives the company funding access to $1.6 billion and the administration a 10% stake. The LOI, which comes from the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Program, includes a proposed $277 million of federal funding and $1.3 billion in a senior secured loan from…
Read MoreCategory: Latest News
United States Antimony acquires critical minerals facility
Critical minerals producer United States Antimony has secured the property acquisition of a critical minerals flotation facility in Montana. The deal, which closed January 16, includes property and equipment in Radersburg, between Helena and Bozeman, not far from its Thompson Falls smelter. The fully operational campus was purchased for $4.75 million in cash. The miner has earmarked $2 million in…
Read MoreRio Tinto ups Kennecott’s solar power capacity
Rio Tinto has confirmed it recently energized a new 25-megawatt solar plant at the Kennecott copper operations complex in Utah, showcasing a circular critical-minerals supply chain in which tellurium produced at the site is used to manufacture the panels now powering it. Together with the 5-MW solar plant completed in 2023, Kennecott now has 30MW of solar capacity. The move…
Read MoreMining equipment starting up at Borealis
Canadian junior Borealis Mining has confirmed the mobilization of mining equipment at its Borealis gold operation in Nevada, pushing forward to the company’s ultimate goal of restarting operations. The company, which has retained contractor CMI (Ledcor) to perform the work at the mine, said that the heavy mining equipment, production drill rigs and support equipment are now arriving at the…
Read MoreIoneer, Cat dealer Empire announce Rhyolite Ridge pact
Ioneer and Empire Southwest, the Caterpillar dealer for Arizona, Nevada and parts of eastern California, have signed a master service agreement for sales, services, goods, technology, and equipment rental that will help to advance the Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project in Nevada. Rhyolite Ridge, located in Esmeralda County, Nev., is the largest undeveloped lithium-boron ore reserve in the world outside of…
Read MoreAclara, Argonne National Lab partnering on AI digital twin
Canadian miner Aclara Resources’ U.S.-based subsidiary, Aclara Technologies, has entered a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to develop an artificial intelligence-enabled digital twin for Aclara’s heavy rare earth separation process. Under the terms of the agreement, the two will leverage Argonne’s SolventX modeling platform alongside Argonne’s advanced computing, process modeling,…
Read MoreAWS to use Nuton copper in data centers
Rio Tinto announced a two-year agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that will see AWS become Nuton Technology’s first customer following an industrial-scale deployment of the bioleaching technology at Gunnison Copper’s Johnson Camp mine last month. AWS will use the first Nuton copper ever produced in components of its U.S. data centers, while also providing cloud-based data and analytics support…
Read MoreCoal’s comeback: A year of realism, renewal, and restored confidence
The following is an op-ed from the West Virginia Coal Association. It has been edited only for style and clarity. Looking back at 2025 – and forward with confidence. As the calendar turns, it is worth pausing to take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re headed. For America’s coal industry – and especially for the men and women…
Read MoreNIOSH employees get fully reinstated
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) announced January 14 that, following nine months of pressure from its members, labor allies and public health experts, all employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) who received layoff notices have been fully reinstated.
Read MoreEagle mine, Humboldt mill sold to Talon Metals
Canadian producer Lundin Mining has sold its Eagle nickel and copper mine and Humboldt mill outside of Marquette, Mich., to Talon Metals. The transaction potential was first announced in December. Lundin, according to the terms of the deal, will retain stock in Talon. Humboldt, which company officials have said is the only U.S. mill today that concentrates nickel ore, was…
Read More