Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (CSE: ARS) (OTCQX: ARSMF) (FRA: N8I1) has announced the commencement of commissioning for its Metallurgical Lumps Plant at the Company's processing facility in Delta, Utah. For the first time, the entire processing plant has been powered up and is operating as one fully integrated system, marking the beginning of a four-week commissioning program.
The Lumps Plant has been designed to process ore from the Company's Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade fluorspar lumps ("metspar"), a product primarily supplied to U.S. steel industries. Over the coming weeks, the Company will undertake comprehensive integrated testing across all plant systems to verify performance, optimize operations, and prepare the facility for commercial production. Testing activities include verifying complete process flows from ore feed through to finished product; testing PLC control systems and HMI interfaces; monitoring and optimising operating parameters including temperatures, pressures and material flows; validating alarm systems, diagnostics and automated start-up and shutdown sequences; and assessing crushing, drying and product quality to ensure metallurgical-grade fluorspar meets customer specifications.
James Walker, President and CEO of Ares Strategic Mining, commented: "It's incredibly rewarding to see the entire Lumps Plant operating together for the first time. This is an exciting milestone for everyone involved with Ares and reflects years of planning, engineering and construction. Our focus now is on completing commissioning successfully and beginning production."
As commissioning progresses, fluorspar ore stockpiled at the Lost Sheep Mine will be transported to the Delta processing facility to support testing and initial ramp up production runs. The Company expects ramp up production to begin on August 15, 2026. Ramp up refers to ramping up the feed to the full plant production potential. As per the Company’s Press Release of March 27, 2024, commercial offtake agreements are already in place covering the Company's expected initial metspar production for the first five years.
The Lumps Plant has a designed processing capacity of approximately 150,000 tonnes per annum, providing capacity to support increased mine output and expansion across the Lost Sheep Project and the wider Spor Mountain Range. James Walker adds, "We've intentionally built infrastructure that extends well beyond our initial mining rate. As we continue developing additional fluorspar targets across our property, this processing capacity gives us a platform for future growth while supporting our objective of establishing a secure U.S. supply of this critical mineral."
Ares Strategic Mining Inc. is a mining company focused on the development of its fluorspar projects in the U.S. The Company aims to become a significant supplier of high-grade fluorspar to North American markets, supporting industries vital to modern technology and infrastructure. The Lost Sheep Fluorspar Project in Delta, Utah is 100% owned with 5,982 acres and 353 claims, located in the Spor Mountain area, Juab County, Utah, approximately 214 km south-west of Salt Lake City. The project is fully permitted, including mining permits, and an NI 43-101 Technical Report identified high-grade fluorspar with low levels of impurities. The mining plan was first approved by the Bureau of Land Management on August 24, 1992, and renewed on December 12, 2016.
This announcement is important as it represents a significant step toward establishing a domestic U.S. supply of fluorspar, a critical mineral essential for steel production and other industries, reducing reliance on foreign sources. The successful commissioning and production could have broad implications for U.S. industrial supply chain security.
