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US drive for domestic and allied scandium supply

Updated 8 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-19 20:09 UTC → 2026-09-04 02:41 UTC · added removed

In early August 2026, Lockheed Martin began negotiating with U.S. and Canadian firms to secure scandium and germanium for defense applications, a move driven by President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at cutting reliance on Chinese critical minerals. The company reached a preliminary agreement with NioCorp to obtain about 15 metric tons of scandium annually, enough to cover roughly a quarter of global demand, with production slated to start at NioCorp’s Nebraska mine in 2028. NioCorp CEO Mark Smith noted that “both companies recognize how important scandium has become to the future of American defense technology.” Simultaneously, the U.S. government has moved to secure Australian supply through Sunrise Energy Metals. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) has issued a conditional $400 million loan commitment commitments to fund the Syerston Scandium Project in New South Wales. This 25-year debt facility includes While initial reports indicated a right $400 million facility, subsequent updates noted a conditional loan of first offer for the U.S. government on $566 million. Peter Zuckerman, managing director of the project's production. To further secure OSC, stated the supply chain, Sunrise Energy Metals has already secured a deal to provide up investment aims to 25% ensure U.S. manufacturers and military personnel “no longer depend on adversaries for this material,” noting that foreign competitors currently control approximately 80 per cent of the mine's scandium global mining production to Lockheed Martin during its first five years and nearly 100 per cent of operation. processing. The Syerston project is positioned to become the world’s first primary scandium mine, targeting an initial production of 60 tonnes of high-purity scandium oxide per annum. CEO Sam Riggall noted that demand has expanded into essential applications for AI and data centers, leading the company to consider scaling production to 180 tonnes per year and potentially building a processing plant in the United States. Following the financing news, To advance technical development, Sunrise Energy Metals' shares rose by as much as 29% on Metals awarded Clean TeQ Water Limited a contract, potentially valued up to A$5.4 million, for the Australian Securities Exchange, project’s scandium recovery circuit and the company is preparing for a potential U.S. securities exchange listing. refinery design.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-04 02:41 UTC US drive for domestic and allied scandium supply
  2. 2026-08-19 20:09 UTC US drive for domestic and allied scandium supply
  3. 2026-08-13 20:56 UTC US drive for domestic and allied scandium supply
  4. 2026-08-11 05:41 UTC US drive for domestic scandium supply
  5. 2026-08-10 19:22 UTC US drive for domestic scandium supply
  6. 2026-08-10 17:12 UTC US drive for domestic scandium supply
  7. 2026-08-10 02:14 UTC US drive for domestic scandium supply
  8. 2026-08-09 23:43 UTC US drive for domestic scandium supply
  9. 2026-08-07 23:34 UTC US drive for domestic scandium supply

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