Locksley Resources locks in feedstock to speed up US antimony processing tech
- James Pearson
- Sep 10
- 3 min read
Locksley Resources (ASX: LKY) has tightened its grip on the red-hot US$1 billion (A$1.5 billion) antimony market by striking a new deal with fellow ASX-listed EV Resources (ASX: EVR) to lock in a third-party ore supply that will help supercharge Locksley’s cutting-edge DeepSolv processing technology.
The company has signed a non-binding heads of agreement to buy antimony material from EV Resources’ high- grade Los Lirios operations in Mexico. The ore will be used to validate and scale up DeepSolv, a proprietary solvometallurgical process Locksley developed in partnership with the prestigious Rice University in Texas.
Three weeks ago, Locksley teamed up with Houston’s Rice University - renowned for its cutting-edge materials research - to pioneer a greener, low-energy form of hydrometallurgical antimony extraction using environmentally friendly processes.
The EV Resources deal sets Locksley up with a steady stream of antimony feedstock to run in tandem with the company’s own fast-tracked plans to eventually fire up supply from the Desert antimony mine at its Mojave project in California.
The strategic move makes up a critical part of the company’s wider mine-to-market blueprint to bolster an independent United States supply of critical minerals.
Locksley says access to multiple ore sources is key to cracking into the US$1 billion domestic antimony market. The US currently has no domestic antimony production, despite surging demand. The silvery grey metal is currently trading at a hefty price of US$60,000 (A$92,000) a tonne - up nearly 400 per cent since the Chinese government imposed an export ban on its own production 12 months ago.
Antimony is a critical material in defence-grade alloys, energy applications, semiconductors and munitions, making domestic supply security a matter of US national interest.
EV Resources will kick things off by shipping a bulk sample of its antimony ore for a test run through Locksley’s cutting-edge DeepSolv process to prove its downstream credentials. If the ore stacks up, the duo will formalise the partnership with a binding contract, clearing the way for Locksley to tip $750,000 into EV Resources and cement a long-term supply alliance.
This agreement potentially strengthens our mine-to-market strategy by complementing our Mojave development with additional concentrate supply from EVR.
Locksley Resources Chairman Pat Burke
Another crucial piece of Locksley’s master plan clicked into place just two weeks ago when the company brought heavyweight advisory outfit GreenMet on board to raise the profile of its Mojave project in Washington.
And when it comes to influence, the company says few names carry more weight than GreenMet’s founder and chief executive officer Drew Horn.
Horn is a seasoned Washington insider and former senior US official who has held top posts across the White House, the Pentagon, the energy and defence departments and the Office of National Intelligence. He also played a pivotal role in shaping policy around the Defence Production Act - a key lever used by the Biden administration to onshore supply chains for critical minerals.
The company’s Mojave project sits on the doorstep of the fabled Mountain Pass mine - the US’s only rare earths mine - and includes the historic Desert antimony mine. Apart from its highly significant geological setting, the mine is one of only four antimony deposits in US and is considered to have some of the highest-grade antimony occurrences in America.
Although the Desert mine has not produced since 1937, modern exploration technology is expected to put a new spin on the deposit’s prospectivity. This view was backed up recently after Locksley unearthed rock chip samples on site, grading a whopping 46 per cent stibnite - the host rock for antimony.
The company is currently finishing an exploration campaign. A review of the structural geology is underway involving mapping, sampling and 3D modelling of four hot spots that could potentially extend the project’s antimony footprint. This study is expected to flesh out fresh targets.
Applications for a drilling program are already in the mix with the drill rods due to start turning before the end of the year to test what the company hopes will be a bounty of riches lurking beneath.
Locksley’s tie-up with EV Resources gives it a vital foothold in the geopolitical shake-up of mineral supply chains. With DeepSolv validation and offtake security now in sight, Locksley could soon find itself front and centre in America’s renewed charge for resource independence.
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