In a timely move to reinforce North America’s critical minerals independence, Australia’s Locksley Resources Ltd. (ASX: LKY) has taken pivotal steps to establish a domestic antimony supply chain through key US partnerships and funding.
Locksley has engaged Washington DC, based advisory group GreenMet to help position its Mojave antimony and rare earth project within US strategic frameworks such as the Defense Production Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and Department of Energy initiatives. The Mojave project, situated adjacent to MP Materials’ Mountain Pass rare earth mine in California, includes the high-grade Desert antimony prospect, featuring samples with up to 46% antimony, and the El Campo site, where rock chips have returned rare earth oxide results as high as 12.1%.
In addition, Locksley has formed a research alliance with Rice University to pioneer US-based processing technology for antimony as well as explore its applications in energy storage. The company has allocated US$550,000 to support the initiative, with any resulting intellectual property co-owned by both parties.
These moves align with a broader national push to reduce reliance on foreign antimony sources, currently dominated by China and Russia, a vulnerability that has become increasingly untenable amid growing geopolitical tensions. The US lacks a domestic antimony supply, yet the metal is essential for defense (e.g., ammunition components), semiconductors, flame retardants, and batteries.
To support exploration, Locksley has received Bureau of Land Management approval for expanded drilling at both Desert and El Campo, scheduled to begin in September. Furthermore, the company secured C$6M via an oversubscribed placement to fund these near-term activities.
