Ares Strategic Mining Inc. will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 9, 2026, at its new Lumps Plant in Delta, Utah, officially opening the first domestic fluorspar processing facility of its kind in the United States. The plant processes raw fluorspar from the company's Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade fluorspar, or metspar, which is essential for steel and aluminum production. This event marks a significant milestone in the effort to rebuild a domestic supply chain for fluorspar, a critical mineral that has been largely imported for decades.
The ceremony will bring together federal and state officials, industry leaders, and local stakeholders to recognize the completion of infrastructure that connects the Lost Sheep Mine directly to a purpose-built processing operation. Confirmed attendees include U.S. Representative Mike Kennedy, Utah State Senator David P. Hinkins, and representatives from the Utah Office of Energy Development and the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. The company is also coordinating attendance from the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Defense Logistics Agency, underscoring the strategic importance of domestic fluorspar production. According to James Walker, President and CEO of Ares Strategic Mining, "We have reached the moment when years of permitting, mine development, engineering, construction and financing have become a working U.S. mine-to-plant operation."
The Delta Lumps Plant is designed to convert run-of-mine fluorspar into metallurgical-grade product for industrial customers. Metspar is used principally in steel and aluminum production, where fluorspar acts as an important fluxing material. The facility represents a significant step toward rebuilding a domestic supply capability for a mineral that has long been strategically important to U.S. manufacturing. The plant's opening is especially significant because Ares is developing the supply chain from the ground up: mining ore at Lost Sheep, transporting it to Delta, processing it through company-built infrastructure, and preparing finished product for commercial markets. Ares has previously announced a Memorandum of Understanding with global commodities trader Cremer Erzkontor Inc. relating to distribution of its metspar product across North America.
The ceremony will also recognize the State of Utah's support for the development of domestic critical-mineral infrastructure. During the 2025 General Session of the Utah State Legislature, legislation broadened the legal definition of a "throughput infrastructure project" to include infrastructure required for extracting and processing critical minerals. The company subsequently received an $11 million state-supported loan through the Utah Community Impact Board to advance its Utah operations. "The support we have received in Utah has allowed Ares to move from plans and engineering drawings to mine development, processing infrastructure and physical production," Walker said.
The Lumps Plant is the first major processing component of Ares' broader Utah strategy. The company is also advancing construction of its complementary Acidspar Flotation Plant, which is intended to produce higher-purity acid-grade fluorspar for chemical, technology, energy, and strategic-material applications. With mining underway, ore moving to the processing site, and the Lumps Plant entering live-material operations, the ribbon cutting provides a formal public marker of the company's transition into an operating mine-and-processing business. Ares expects to provide a further update following the ceremony. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com.
