Locksley Resources (OTCMKTS: LKYRF) (ASX: LKY) has partnered with a critical minerals advisory group and prestigious private university to propel development of its flagship California antimony (Sb) operation.
Announced Tuesday, the collaboration with GreenMet will provide Locksley with the opportunity to receive funding for its Mojave project through government programs. The Washington D.C.-based energy supply chain expert was founded by Drew Horn, a former Senior Advisor at the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and national intelligence authority.
“The partnership is targeting grant, loan, and offtake programs from the DOE, Department of Defense, Export-Import Bank of the U.S. and Development Finance Corporation to accelerate the Mojave Project’s development,” Locksley explained in the ASX announcement, “such as the DoE’s recent announcement that it plans to issue funding opportunities totalling nearly US$1 billion for critical minerals and materials supply chains.”
Mojave sits adjacent to the Mountain Pass Mine held by MP Materials Corp. (NYSE: MP) (FRA: 55H0) — the only producing rare earths mining operation in the United States.
Rock chip assays at Locksley’s site have returned grades as high as 46 per cent Sb. It is comprised of more than mining 250 claims. A group of these claims in the north block host the past-producing Desert Antimony Mine, last active in the late 1930s. It is considered to be the most valuable component of the property due to its rich mineral and precious metal mineralization.
Locksley just obtained approval for an expanded drill program in the Desert area from the Bureau of Land Management. This particular section has yielded high-grade silver as well, with samples containing up to 1,022 grams per tonne Ag.
“We match unparalleled preferred public and private funding options by leveraging the links between national security interests and energy development needs, ” Horn has explained, “utilizing our unique knowledge and expertise of U.S. government and private industry leaders [to benefit partners like Locksley].”
Horn’s know-how at GreenMet is complemented by Nick Denno, a former Special Forces Weapons Sergeant with the U.S. Army that currently serves as the advisory specialist’s Director of Operations.
Read more: Antimony recovery results from NevGold’s Limo Butte project exceed expectations
Locksley initiates ‘green’ antimony extraction with top-ranking U.S. school
On Monday, Locksley revealed that it has partnered with Rice University in Houston, Texas. Their aim is to pioneer environmentally sustainable antimony processing tech to meet unprecedented demand for the element in the nation’s industrial and defence sectors. They have established a binding agreement and will be sharing intellectual property rights.
About 92.5 per cent of refined antimony in the U.S. is currently imported, representing a significant national security issue.
Priority number one will be to develop and test an energy efficient solvent extraction process for domestically procured antimony ores and concentrates. A significant portion will come from the Mojave project, but also other sources.
The second goal is to explore the potential of antimony-based materials for energy storage applications.
“Applied research on advanced electrode materials and composite architectures for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and hybrid power modules using antimony as a core component,” Locksley specified.
Rice consistently ranks within the top 20 American universities.
Locksley shares have ascended from just over a penny at the beginning of 2025 to C$0.28.
“Our mine-to-market strategy anchored by Mojave and our U.S. collaboration with Rice University fits directly into U.S. Government initiatives to secure resilient domestic supply chains,” said Locksley Chairman Nathan Lude on Aug. 26.
Read more: NevGold’s latest Nevada drill results show exceptional gold mineralization
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