16 FEBRUARY 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Department of Defense Awards Funding for Antimony Study in Idaho Adapted from Information by Perpetua Resources Perpetua Resources Corporation was awarded two funding grants from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to study domestic production of military-grade antimony trisulfide, an essential component in ammunition and dozens of other defense materials. The company will receive $200,000 to evaluate whether antimony from the Stibnite Gold Project in central Idaho can meet military specifications (MIL-SPEC) to help secure America’s defense and commercial ammunition supply chain while also evaluating alternate methods for purifying antimony trisulfide. Antimony trisulfide is produced from high-purity antimony ore feedstock and is used in small- and medium- caliber munitions, mortars, artillery, mines, flares, grenades, shoulder launched munitions, and missiles. Currently, China, Russia, and Tajikistan control approximately 90% of the world’s antimony supply, and the United States has no domestically mined source of this critical mineral. During World War II and the Korean War, the U.S. Government commissioned antimony and tungsten production from Stibnite under the authority of the Strategic Metals Act of 1939. The site produced over 90% of the antimony used by the U.S. during World War II and was influential in establishing MIL-SPEC for antimony trisulfide. Recent global conflict and supply chain instability has impacted access to high-purity antimony ore feedstock required to produce MIL-SPEC antimony trisulfide. In June 2022, the House Armed Services Committee reported Chinese and Russian geopolitical dynamics could “accelerate supply chain disruptions, particularly for antimony” and directed the Manager of the National Defense Stockpile to brief the committee on the five-year outlook for the antimony stockpile and supply chain. Perpetua’s proposed Stibnite Gold Project hosts one of the largest antimony deposits in the world independent of China, Russia, and their interests. The company submitted two proposals to DLA’s “Production of Energetic Materials and Associated Precursors” Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant solicitation. As described in the grant’s objective, the program is focused on reducing “foreign reliance and single points of failure for the domestic manufacturing of energetic materials” through the development of a domestic source. After a competitive review process, Perpetua was awarded SBIR Phase 1 funding of $100,000 for both programs. Each study is expected to be completed within the next 6 to 12 months. The first program will test existing samples of antimony trisulfide ore for development into antimony trisulfide to MIL-SPEC. The second program will study alternative processing opportunities to develop MIL-SPEC antimony trisulfide from high-purity antimony metal. Following completion of the proposed programs, Phase 2 funding could be made available for more advanced stage pilot-scale testing within the next year. Together, Phase 1 and Phase 2 programs could confirm the project’s ability to provide the domestic antimony source needed to meet defense procurement demand and support commercial markets. The Stibnite Gold Project is advancing through the sixth year of review under the National Environmental Policy Act. It is designed to restore environmental conditions in the historical Stibnite mining district while responsibly developing one of the highest grade open-pit gold resources in the United States and becoming the only domestically mined source of the critical mineral antimony. “Antimony from the Stibnite Gold Project site served our national defense needs during World War II, and Perpetua is confident we can be part of the solution again,” said Laurel Sayer, president and CEO of Perpetua Resources. “We are grateful for this opportunity to work with the Department of Defense to demonstrate that our project can develop reliable and domestically sourced antimony trisulfide for defense and commercial ammunition. It would be a great honor to support the independence of our country’s defense supply chains and the brave men and women who serve our country.” MIN Antimony from the Stibnite Gold Project.
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