On October 9, 2026, Ares Strategic Mining Inc. officially opened its Fluorspar Lumps Plant in Delta, Utah, an event that marks the return of commercial fluorspar production to the United States after more than three decades of complete reliance on foreign imports. The plant processes raw fluorspar from the company's fully permitted Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade lumps, a critical ingredient for steel and aluminum production. The opening establishes Ares as a vertically integrated company that controls the critical mineral from the ground to its 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 the federal government's commitment to re-domesticating industries like fluorspar that have been sidelined for decades. "The Federal government is committed to helping great people, like Ares, who are re-domesticating industries like fluorspar that we've put to the side for decades, and who are actually making our country more secure," Kennedy said. He noted that the State of Utah supported Ares with an $11 million loan.
The significance of this opening extends beyond a single facility. In the early 1970s, cheaper foreign fluorspar imports caused domestic production to wane, and commercial production ceased entirely by 1995. For over thirty years, the U.S. has been 100% reliant on foreign fluorspar imports, leaving critical supply chains vulnerable. The Lumps Plant, with an annual capacity of 165,347 tons and current metspar prices between $350 and $520 per metric ton, represents a potential gross product value exceeding $25 million annually. This positions Ares as the only commercial fluorspar operation in the U.S. and signals the company's transition into revenue generation.
Raw fluorspar ore - the star of the ceremony. The plant will initially be fed by ore from the Lost Sheep Mine, which is just one of the company's 353 claims in the Spor Mountain district. Recent geophysical surveys have confirmed a further 49 preliminary fluorspar targets near the mine's existing infrastructure, suggesting substantial long-term supply potential. Additionally, Ares is constructing a complementary Acidspar Flotation Plant on the same 50-acre site, with machinery already on site and construction 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.
Market demand for fluorspar remains robust. In addition to the company's $168.9m contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for its future acidspar product, Ares maintains a signed Memorandum of Understanding with global commodities trader Cremer Erzkontor Inc. to distribute its metspar product across North America. The company is also collaborating with Found Industries to recover gallium, germanium, and other strategic critical materials from feedstocks associated with the Lost Sheep Mine. "There's a new American industrial base hiding in plain sight," said Peter Godart, President and CEO of Found 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 broader implications of this development are significant for U.S. economic and national security. By restoring domestic fluorspar production, Ares reduces the nation's dependence on foreign sources for a mineral essential to steel, aluminum, and emerging technologies. The project also revives 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 Delta families. Ares is putting that history back to work, mining the Spor Mountain, trucking ore to Delta, and processing it on site alongside the local community. As the only commercial fluorspar operation in the country, Ares is positioned to become a significant supplier to North American markets, supporting industries vital to modern technology and infrastructure.
