U.S. Critical Minerals Investments Exceed US$2 Billion

What happened

On August 7, the White House announced more than US$2 billion in critical mining and mining related projects, together with more than US$180 million in investments for mining schools and workforce development.

The Department of War package includes more than US$85 million for Standard Bauxite, US$150 million for rare earth free magnet producer Niron Magnetics, US$1.4 billion for Sila Nanotechnologies to expand silicon carbon anodes and lithium ion cell manufacturing, and US$400 million for Sunrise Energy Metals to develop a scandium value chain anchored by a primary mine.

The package also includes Export Import Bank support for boron, graphite, tantalum and niobium projects; Development Finance Corporation participation in Harena Rare Earths in Madagascar; US$100 million from the Department of Energy for fourteen mining schools; and more than US$80 million from the Department of War for three additional university programs and technology hubs.

Signal reading

The strategic significance lies in the portfolio design. Public capital is being distributed across extraction, refining, advanced materials, component manufacturing and technical capability rather than concentrated at a single point in the chain. The package extends the system-building approach examined in Geopolitical Mining’s analysis of the U.S. Department of War’s mineral strategy.

Next proof point: signed agreements and disbursement schedules, private co-investment, construction and commissioning milestones, qualified output, and evidence that university funding produces a larger technical workforce.

What happened

On August 7, B2Gold announced that the State of Mali had granted the Menankoto exploitation permit to its Malian subsidiary. The permit and the Dandoko exploration permit together form Fekola Regional, approximately 20 kilometres from the operating Fekola Mine.

The Menankoto permit was issued under Mali’s 2023 Mining Code, while the existing Fekola Mine remains governed by the 2012 Mining Code. Fekola Regional is expected to be owned 65% by B2Gold and 35% by the State of Mali; the operating Fekola Mine is owned 80% by B2Gold and 20% by the State.

B2Gold said mining pre-stripping and finalisation of a tolling agreement will now begin. The company expects Fekola Regional to ramp up through the end of 2027 and to produce more than 150,000 ounces per year from 2028 through the mid 2030s.

Signal reading

The permit converts a prolonged government company negotiation into an operating framework with defined ownership, legal treatment and a near term work program. Its importance extends beyond the authorisation itself: the 2023 Mining Code is now being applied to a growth area that will feed an established processing complex while the legacy mine remains under the earlier code.

Next proof point: commencement of pre-stripping, completion of the tolling agreement, first ore deliveries to the Fekola mill and evidence that the regional ramp up follows the company’s stated schedule.

What happened

On August 7, the Australian government announced more than A$2.9 million in funding through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for Electralith’s R-Box lithium refining pilot in Kwinana, Western Australia. The total project cost is A$7.3 million.

The fully electrified pilot is designed to recover lithium from liquid waste generated by mining and processing and convert it into high quality material for batteries. The government says the process can operate on renewable power while using less water, fewer chemicals and producing fewer emissions than conventional lithium refining.

Design work is scheduled to begin in 2026, followed by construction, commissioning and operation during 2027. Electralith plans broader deployment in Australia and internationally if the pilot performs successfully.

Signal reading

The project links two industrial objectives: recovering value from a waste stream and building domestic refining capability. Its scale remains a pilot, but the work creates a defined pathway through design, commissioning and operation. That execution test sits directly inside the challenge explored in The Lithium Processing Paradox: processing capacity becomes durable only when technology, qualification and economics advance together.

Next proof point: completion of design, construction and commissioning; verified recovery and product specifications; water, chemical and energy performance; and a commercial deployment decision after the pilot.

What happened

On August 7, Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines reported that executed mining investment exceeded US$2.633 billion during the first five months of 2026, an increase of 43.6% from the same period of 2025.

Arequipa, Ica, Moquegua and Áncash accounted for 50.6% of the national total. Infrastructure investment reached US$713 million, up 80.2% year over year, while development and preparation spending increased 88.3%.

Exploration investment reached US$64 million in May and was 5.2% higher for the January–May period. Mining equipment investment reached US$75 million in May and increased 14.4% cumulatively, while beneficiation plant investment totalled US$387 million, 16.7% above the prior year period.

Signal reading

The composition of the increase is as important as the headline total. Infrastructure, development, equipment and beneficiation spending indicate capital moving into the physical conditions that sustain and expand operating capacity. Aggregate data cannot establish the delivery of any individual project, but it provides evidence that the investment cycle is broadening across several execution categories.

Next proof point: continued year on year growth, identification of the projects driving the increase, completion of the associated works and evidence that the investment produces durable capacity rather than temporary expenditure peaks.

What happened

On August 7, Resolution Copper awarded approximately US$110 million in contracts to Major Drilling America and Redpath USA to advance exploration and underground development at the proposed Arizona project.

Major Drilling will conduct deep directional diamond drilling from surface and from approximately 6,800 feet underground over two and a half years. Two high capacity rigs have arrived, with two additional rigs expected by year end. Redpath will convert two existing 7,000 foot shafts for development and construct a new underground station, approximately 1,500 feet of tunnels and supporting infrastructure.

The contracts form part of an approximately US$500 million investment program announced after the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Record of Decision and land exchange. Resolution Copper says the project could supply up to one quarter of annual U.S. copper demand, but a final investment decision remains subject to additional data, state permits and partner approvals.

Signal reading

The announcement shows regulatory milestones entering physical execution through rigs, shafts, tunnels, equipment and employment. It remains an enabling program rather than a final project sanction. The distinction matters because the contracts can improve technical knowledge and readiness while the investment decision, state authorisations and full development pathway remain unresolved.

Next proof point: results from the deep drilling program, progress on state permits and engagement, completion of the underground works and a formal investment decision supported by updated technical and economic evidence.

What happened

On August 7, American Resources Corporation, through its minority holding in ReElement Technologies, announced the commissioning and operation of ReElement’s first commercial scale germanium production column at its Marion, Indiana, refining facility.

The column uses ReElement’s chromatography based separation and purification platform and is the largest column the company currently intends to deploy. ReElement says the process avoids the organic solvents commonly used in conventional solvent extraction circuits and can be configured in modular production lines for primary, recycled and unconventional feedstocks.

The Marion facility is being developed around four initial lines for germanium, gallium, light rare earth elements and heavy rare earth elements. The company’s immediate focus is commissioning the remaining Phase I lines; a later phase is expected to add lithium, cobalt, nickel and tungsten capabilities.

Signal reading

Commissioning the commercial scale column addresses a central technology risk: whether a separation process demonstrated at laboratory and pilot level can be engineered at a larger operating scale. The milestone is meaningful, but the company has not yet established the full commercial record. Sustained throughput, recovery, purity, operating cost and customer qualification will determine whether the platform becomes durable industrial capacity.

Next proof point: sustained germanium production data, independent product specifications, customer qualification, commissioning of the gallium and rare earth lines and evidence of commercially repeatable operating performance.