Ares Strategic Mining Inc. officially opened its Fluorspar Lumps Plant on Friday, October 9, 2026, in Delta, Utah. The plant processes raw fluorspar from the company's fully permitted Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade lumps, a critical input for steel and aluminum production. The opening establishes Ares as a vertically integrated company controlling the critical mineral from extraction to final market-ready forms.
The ceremony drew state and federal congressional representatives, key regional and local stakeholders, including the Delta City Council, the entire Ares and Provo Mining teams, and local Delta families. The ceremony was attended by State and Federal congressional representatives, key regional and local stakeholders, including the Delta City Council, the entire Ares and Provo Mining teams and local Delta families. U.S. Representative Mike Kennedy delivered the keynote address, underscoring bipartisan support for re-shoring critical mineral production.
The event holds national significance because it marks the historic return of the commercial fluorspar industry to the United States. In the early 1970s, cheaper foreign imports caused domestic fluorspar production to wane, and commercial production ceased entirely by 1995. For over three decades, the U.S. has been 100% reliant on foreign fluorspar imports. Ares CEO James Walker stated, "Ares was built on a simple idea: become the leading fluorspar mining company in North America and return fluorspar manufacturing to the U.S. Opening this plant is the start of that realization."
Reviving a rich local legacy, the Spor Mountain district once supplied fluorspar to industry for more than eighty years, with ore hauled into Delta by the district's earliest operators, including local families. Ares is putting that history back to work by mining Spor Mountain, trucking ore to Delta, and processing it on site. Raw fluorspar ore - the star of the ceremony.
Market demand for fluorspar remains strong. Ares holds a $168.9m contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for its future acidspar product, and a signed Memorandum of Understanding with global commodities trader Cremer Erzkontor Inc. to distribute its metspar product across North America. As the only commercial fluorspar operation in the U.S., Ares is favorably positioned. At the Lumps Plant's 165,347-ton annual capacity and current metspar prices between $350 and $520 per metric ton, potential gross product value exceeds $25 million annually, signaling the company's transition into revenue generation.
The Lumps Plant sits on a fully owned 50-acre site off Highway 6 in Delta, Utah, with a footprint of approximately 7 acres. Ares aims to expand its Delta footprint with a complementary Acidspar Flotation Plant; machinery is already on site and construction has commenced. Once both plants are operational, the company can shift between producing metspar for steel and aluminum industries and acidspar for EV batteries, semiconductors, and technology applications. The Lumps Plant will initially be fed by ore from the Lost Sheep Mine, which represents just 1 of the company's 353 claims in the district. Recent geophysical surveys confirmed a further 49 preliminary fluorspar targets near the Lost Sheep Mine's existing infrastructure.
Additionally, Ares intends to further develop its program, in collaboration with Found Industries, for the recovery of gallium, germanium, and other strategic critical materials from Ares-owned or controlled feedstocks. Peter Godart, President and CEO of Found Industries, commented, "There's a new American industrial base hiding in plain sight. Metals like gallium, germanium and indium are essential to our energy, communications, space and defense industries. Ares is building a domestic supply chain for fluorspar and in doing so is creating an opportunity to recover other critical metals from the same resource."
The successful commissioning and opening of the Delta Lumps Plant, Lost Sheep Mine, and Processing Facility resulted from dedicated efforts across engineering, capital partnerships, and site operations. The company recognized its engineering partners, KC Harvey and Aspect Engineering, for primary technical design, environmental planning, and plant engineering, and acknowledged shareholders and strategic partners, including Sorbie Bornholm. Ares also thanked Roy Durr of Provo Mining & Construction and his operations team. "I am proud of this project, and prouder still of the crew that built it," Durr said. "Our people have been at the mine face and on the plant floor from the start, turning a permitted site into a working operation. Opening day belongs to them."
The implications of this announcement extend beyond Ares. The United States has long depended on foreign sources for fluorspar, a mineral essential to steel, aluminum, electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors, and defense applications. By restoring domestic production, Ares reduces supply chain vulnerabilities and supports national security objectives. The project also brings economic revitalization to the Delta community, leveraging local labor and historical mining expertise. As the only commercial fluorspar operation in the country, Ares is positioned to capture significant market share and drive innovation in critical mineral recovery, including gallium and germanium, which are vital for modern technologies.
