Antimoine

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Perpetua Resources, US Army and Idaho National Laboratory launch antimony pilot plant

Staff Writer | July 30, 2026

Perpetua Resources (Nasdaq: PPTA / TSX: PPTA), the U.S. Army and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), announced Thursday the opening of a new modular mineral processing plant designed to help establish an end-to-end domestic supply chain for antimony.


Antimony is designated as a critical mineral essential to U.S. national and economic security. It is a vital component in ammunition, defense systems, energy storage, and high-tech manufacturing, but faces heavy import reliance from Asian markets.


Located at the INL in Idaho Falls, the modular mineral pilot plant is designed to utilize antimony samples from Perpetua’s Stibnite Gold project in central Idaho, which aims to add antimony to the US supply chain.

The pilot plant combines the nation’s only identified domestic antimony reserve with INL’s advanced materials expertise to further advance innovation, train a skilled workforce, and strengthen the technical capabilities needed to rebuild commercial-scale domestic critical mineral production in America, Perpetua said.

The pilot plant is the culmination of a multi-year collaboration between the U.S. Army via the Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium and Perpetua to advance a fully domestic, “ground-to-round” antimony supply chain. The facility also has the potential to support future processing of additional critical minerals, the company said.

The goal is to demonstrate how to process high-quality antimony trisulfide for use in specialized military and industrial applications. Antimony is used in products ranging from defense munitions and battery technologies to solar glass and flame retardants.
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https://www.mining.com/perpetua-resourc ... lot-plant/

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suite de ce post du 11 mai 2025 : viewtopic.php?p=2411114#p2411114

Larvotto joins antimony ranks as Hillgrove springs back to life

Cecilia Jamasmie | September 1, 2026

Larvotto Resources (ASX: LRV) has started antimony and gold production at its Hillgrove mine in Australia, adding a major Western source of a strategic metal whose supply is dominated by China and Russia.


The New South Wales operation is expected to meet about 7% of global antimony demand and account for more than half of supply outside China, according to Larvotto. The company plans to produce 4,900 tonnes of antimony and 40,500 oz. of gold annually over an initial eight-year mine life.

“Becoming Australia’s biggest antimony producer is a significant achievement, particularly at a time when securing reliable supply of antimony has become a strategic priority for governments around the world,” managing director Ron Heeks said in a statement.

Hillgrove makes Larvotto only the second antimony miner in Australia and by far the largest, the company says. The other producer is Alkane Resources’ (TSX: ALK) Costerfield mine in Victoria.

Antimony is mainly used to harden lead in bullets and has military applications in explosives and infrared sensors, while civilian uses include flame retardants and solar panels.

Price pressure

Hillgrove has reached production despite a sharp retreat in antimony prices over the past year. The metal climbed above a record $59,000 per tonne in May 2025 amid concerns about tight supply but has since fallen to less than half that level.

Substitution and the emergence of new sources contributed to the decline, industry research firm CRU Group said in a March report.

The weaker market adds a note of caution to Hillgrove’s revival after the mine produced antimony intermittently for more than a century. Discovered in 1857, it saw significant modern-era production from 1969 before temporarily closing in 2014 as low antimony prices weighed on the operation.

Rapid revival

Larvotto’s transformation of Hillgrove began only in mid-2023, when management approached the administrators of the dormant operation. With no rival bidders emerging, the company acquired the asset for A$8 million, including a A$5-million environmental bond.

Less than three years later, Larvotto has turned the mothballed property into a producing gold-antimony mine, while its valuation has risen sharply alongside the project’s revival.

The company’s shares climbed on the news closing at A$1.154, which gives Larvotto a market capitalization of about A$597 million ($427 million).

https://www.mining.com/larvotto-joins-a ... k-to-life/