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Craig Nolan
Locksley Resources has scored a prized Affiliate Membership role with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI), a consortium focused on the security of US critical mineral supply chains.
The company’s flagship Mojave project in the US state of California, prospective for antimony and rare earth resources, could now be in pole position to benefit from a series of cutting-edge research and development (R&D) projects.
The company’s US-based subsidiary, Enigma Strategic Minerals, has been welcomed into the fold, along with the potential to participate in various coveted DOE-funded R&D projects. The Critical Materials hub is a DOE innovation hub led by the Ames National Laboratory in Iowa.
Ames is a top-level national laboratory for research on national security, energy and the environment.
The CMI’s primary objective is to develop technology solutions to minimise reliance on supply chains from foreign nations for critical minerals vital for renewable energy, electric-vehicle technologies and national security.
‘Acceptance into the Critical Materials Innovation Hub has been a seven-month process with verification from DOE.’
Locksley Resources managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews
Locksley expects its technical know-how to benefit significantly from its membership in the consortium, with access to global-leading research and technology development. It also anticipates a major lift in profile and relevance in the US domestic critical minerals space.
Management believes the opportunity to collaborate with leading US laboratories and learn from their potential game-changing testwork will only bolster Mojave’s prospects for future commercial success.
Locksley Resources managing director and chief executive officer Kerrie Matthews said: “Acceptance into the Critical Materials Innovation Hub has been a seven-month process with verification from DOE and marks a strategic step forward in integrating Locksley into the U.S. innovation ecosystem.”
Matthews said the affiliation not only expands the company’s access to world-class research and technology development, but also reinforces its commitment to becoming a long-term, US-aligned supplier of critical minerals.
With the US Government’s increasing focus on securing a domestic supply of valuable minerals and ramping up its downstream processing expertise, Locksley is well-placed to supply feedstock for upcoming CMI R&D programs. It plans to provide mineralised samples to support CMI’s initial focus on advancing rare earths separation technologies and to uncover new alternative applications for antimony oxide.
Management says the CMI collaborative research efforts align with the work currently undertaken with the University of Colombia and Rice University.
Ultimately, Locksley expects the CMI tie-in will enable it to access innovative research and technologies for rare earths processing, separation and purification. It anticipates benefitting from improvements in the extraction of ores, waste and recycled materials.
The company plans to integrate its knowledge with several premier US national labs, including the renowned Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore national labs, to build secure domestic critical mineral supply chains. It believes CMI participation strengthens its US footprint and aligns with a suite of US initiatives, such as the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program and a range of DOE-supported initiatives.
Earlier this week, management revealed a comprehensive technical review of its Mojave project, including the use of high-resolution underground mapping. The positive findings have unlocked the potential for multiple antimony-bearing structures at its Desert Antimony Mine.
The underground mapping program unearthed the new Beefeater Shear, a major 10m – 15m wide north-south corridor between the Desert Antimony Mine and the company’s prospective Hendricks target.
Management says the Beefeater Shear mirrors the structural setting and alteration signature of the high-grade Desert Antimony system, opening up the possibility for a significant new antimony discovery at the project.
With the US Government seeking to lock in domestic supplies of coveted critical minerals to build a secure home-grown war chest, for Locksley it may well be a case of right time and right place for the aspiring metals producer.
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