| | | I found this lengthy article, which is a little dated as it was written in September of 2024, but it is definitely worth the read.
DOD invests in mission-critical minerals - Metal Tech News
I extracted the About AETC from our latest Zentek PR and I also extracted the section titled Mission Critical minerals in an effort to connect more dots for us ALL! I believe Zentek submitted an application to the Inflation Reduction Act fund in late 2024. I think that our relationship with AETC for all aspects of the testing of our 5N's graphite is notable as I'm sure we could have done it in Canada,
VH
Mission critical minerals
Over the past four years, DOD has invested more than $870 million of DPA Title III funding to bolster North American supply of the minerals and metals critical to America's economy, defense, and energy transition.
Domestic critical minerals projects that have received Pentagon funding include:
• Leidos Holdings Inc. – $276 million to conduct research and development of critical minerals and materials for use in munitions and promote supply chain resiliency.
• Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. – $258 million in funding to establish a rare earths processing facility in Texas.
• Albemarle Corp. – $90 million to support the reopening of the Kings Mountain lithium mine in North Carolina.
• MP Materials Corp. – $44.6 million to commercially separate rare earth elNements at its Mountain Pass Mine in California.
• Perpetua Resources Corp. – $59.4 million to reestablish a domestic source of antimony at the Stibnite Gold project in Idaho.
• Graphite One Inc. – $37.5 million to support a domestic graphite supply chain that includes a mine in Alaska and processing facility in Washington.
• Talon Nickel Corp. – $20.6 million to advance exploration and resource definition at the Tamarack project in Minnesota.
• South32 Ltd. – $20 million to jump-start the production of battery-grade manganese at the Hermosa project in Arizona.
• Electra Battery Materials Corp. – $20 million to complete construction and commissioning of the Ontario Cobalt Refinery.
• Jervois Mining Ltd. – $15 million to support the expansion of the Idaho Cobalt Operations.
• Lithium Nevada Corp. – $11.8 million to accelerate the extraction and processing of lithium carbonate at the Thacker Pass mine project in Nevada.
• The Doe Run Resources Corp. – $7 million to help scale up a cobalt and nickel processing plant in Missouri.
• Lomiko Metals Inc. – $8.3 million to advance a graphite mine and processing facility in Quebec.
• Fortune Minerals Ltd. – $6.5 million to advance studies for a cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper mine in Northwest Territories and refinery in Alberta.
DOD's investments in Lomiko and Fortune mark the first time that the U.S. and Canadian governments co-invested in the development of critical mineral projects in North America.
As part of the collaborative effort, Natural Resources Canada invested an additional US$9.2 million in these Canadian critical mineral companies.
"As some of the first awards to Canadian public mining and mineral development companies, these grants exemplify the critical importance of DPA funds, the Department's partnership with Canada, and our shared commitment to strengthening North American material supply chains," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Laura Taylor-Kale.
At the same time, these investments help support the Pentagon's mission to mitigate the risks associated with being heavily dependent on China for the minerals and metals critical to North America.
The importance of this mission was underscored by
Zentek Subsidiary Albany Graphite Corp. Provides Additional Positive Nuclear Suitability Testing Results | Zentek Ltd.
About AETC
American Energy Technologies Co. (AETC) is a woman-owned, privately held business which conducts operations out of the greater Chicago area. In its Wheeling, IL facility, AETC operates three business units: a manufacturing plant making battery-ready graphite and carbon materials, a pilot demonstration facility for battery materials and graphite dispersions, and a fully functional applications laboratory supporting the above business units. AETC, a member of the US DOE DPA Nuclear Fuel Cycle Consortium, manufactures ultrahigh purity natural and synthetic graphite as well as operates sophisticated consolidation technologies (hot isostatic pressing, compression molding, extrusion, and more), and acts as a downstream processor for a number of existing and emerging raw material producers in both the natural and synthetic graphite space in qualifying their raw materials for use in the nuclear industry. AETC is currently doing business with several commercial companies operating in the nuclear industry space. These include energy producers, regulators, as well as deployable DoD systems. AETC is an approved supplier to the US DLA and a number of US Navy shipyards as well as a DOD tier 1 company managing the sustainment and operation of the undersea component of the US Nuclear Triad. Besides its production capabilities, AETC has extensive in-house analytical capabilities which allow the company to qualify powdered graphites and graphite shapes for use as suitable materials for introduction to the nuclear industry. |
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