Ares Strategic Mining Hosts Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Fluorspar Plant
News related to:Ares Strategic Mining Inc · 2 min read
Ares Strategic Mining is set to celebrate a significant milestone with the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new U.S. fluorspar processing plant in Delta, Utah, on October 9, 2026. The event marks the formal opening of the company’s Lumps Plant, which processes raw fluorspar from the Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade fluorspar (metspar).
The ceremony, scheduled for 11:00 a.m., will bring together federal and state officials, industry leaders, and local stakeholders to recognize the completion of infrastructure that connects Ares’ Utah mine directly with a purpose-built U.S. processing operation. Key attendees include U.S. Representative Mike Kennedy, Utah State Senator David P. Hinkins, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, and Defense Logistics Agency.
James Walker, President and CEO of Ares Strategic Mining, expressed the significance of the occasion.
The Delta Lumps Plant is designed to convert run-of-mine fluorspar into metallurgical-grade product for industrial customers. Metspar is used principally in steel and aluminum production, where fluorspar acts as an important fluxing material. The facility represents a significant step toward rebuilding a domestic supply capability for a mineral that has long been strategically important to U.S. manufacturing.
The plant’s opening is especially significant because Ares is developing the supply chain from the ground up. The company is mining ore at Lost Sheep, transporting it to Delta, processing it through Company-built infrastructure, and preparing finished product for commercial markets. Ares has previously announced a Memorandum of Understanding with global commodities trader Cremer Erzkontor Inc. relating to the distribution of its metspar product across North America.
The support from the State of Utah has been crucial in making the facility possible. During the 2025 General Session of the Utah State Legislature, legislation broadened the legal definition of a “throughput infrastructure project” to include infrastructure required for extracting and processing critical minerals. The Company subsequently received an $11 million state-supported loan through the Utah Community Impact Board to advance its Utah operations.
The Lost Sheep Fluorspar Project, located in the Spor Mountain area, Juab County, Utah, approximately 214 km southwest of Salt Lake City, is 100% owned by Ares Strategic Mining Inc. and covers 5,982 acres with 353 claims. The mine is fully permitted, including mining permits. An NI 43-101 Technical Report identified extensive high-grade fluorspar with low levels of impurities. The mining plan was first approved by Rex Rowley, Area Manager, Bureau of Land Management, on August 24, 1992, and renewed by Paul B. Baker, Minerals Program Manager, Bureau of Land Management, on December 12, 2016.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will provide a formal public marker of Ares’ transition into an operating mine-and-processing business. The company expects to provide a further update following the ceremony.