Locksley pours first US antimony as Trump, Albanese talk supply in DC

Locksley Resources has just etched its name into United States industrial history by pouring the first fully American-made antimony ingot in almost 10 years, placing the ASX-listed junior squarely in Washington’s headlights as the country pushes for critical mineral self-sufficiency.

The company says the achievement validates its 100 per cent mine-to-metal supply chain strategy in US and marks a major milestone for America’s broader critical minerals industry, which currently has no domestic supply of antimony.

A 100% American made antimony ingot from Locksley Resources’ Mojave project in California.

The timing could not be sharper. The announcement lands just as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jets into Washington to meet President Trump, with both governments placing antimony supply high on the agenda as a mineral of strategic importance.

Using ore from its Mojave Desert antimony mine in California, Locksley produced and refined the metal entirely within US borders, partnering with Hazen Research in Colorado to cast the ingot.

Management says Locksley is currently delivering the only fully integrated mine-to-metal antimony supply chain in America - a capability that plugs directly into Washington’s blueprint to tap its own domestic supply.

‘This is a defining milestone for Locksley and the United States...’

Antimony is a key ingredient in defence alloys, semiconductors and energy storage, with global supply almost entirely controlled by China, which banned exports a year ago, triggering a staggering 400 per cent surge in prices to more than US$60,000 (A$91,000) a tonne.

For years, the US has lacked any domestic production capacity, relying on imports for everything from missile components to flame retardants. Locksley’s achievement of producing the first fully American-made antimony ingot directly answers recent Presidential Executive Orders aimed at restoring production of critical minerals in-country.

Kerrie Matthews, Locksley CEO commented: “This is a defining milestone for Locksley and the United States. We have proven the concept, and now our focus turns to scaling this achievement into a sustainable, commercial supply chain.”

The company’s US strategic advisor, GreenMet chief executive Drew Horn, described the milestone as “not just a technical success, but a national one,” noting that it delivers exactly what policymakers have been calling for - a secure, fully domestic supply of strategic materials.

As it moves through engineering and permitting for full-scale operations, Locksley is shifting into pilot production to show it can recover antimony efficiently and ramp up to commercial scale. The company also plans to prove it can produce both antimony trisulfide and trioxide to meet strict U.S. standards.

With the help of GreenMet’s strong Washington connections, Locksley says it is pushing ahead on talks with the US Energy and Defense departments that provide programs that are currently offering generous funding packages for critical minerals production.

The Desert antimony project is one of only four high-grade primary antimony deposits in the United States. Neighbouring the fabled Mountain Pass rare earths mine owned by MP Materials, the project’s geology and position make it highly prospective.

A Rock chip at site returned a whopping grade of 47.9 per cent antimony and has recently been followed up with a 3D mapping program, which extended the Desert project’s mineralised corridor by a thumping 400 per cent, from 300 metres to 1.2 kilometres.

In a world where supply chains define strategy, Locksley appears to have done more than pour metal - it has poured the first foundation block in rebuilding America’s critical minerals independence.

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