Nove Minerals downplays report of buying antimony from Pakistan
MINING.COM·2026-01-06 18:07

Core Viewpoint - Nova Minerals has downplayed reports of purchasing antimony from Pakistan for testing and processing in Alaska, despite a partnership for exploration being mentioned in the media [1][2][3] Group 1: Antimony Exploration and Partnership - Nova Minerals is reportedly in discussions with a Pakistani company to explore antimony, with plans to purchase over 100 tonnes of antimony concentrates for approximately $2 million in early 2026 [2] - The company clarified that the discussions are still in the "exploratory" phase and only "preliminary discussions" have taken place [3] Group 2: Market Reaction - Following the news of the potential partnership, shares of Nova Minerals increased by over 6%, raising its market capitalization to nearly $396 million [3] Group 3: Focus on Gold Assets - Nova's primary focus for the year is to complete a feasibility study for its gold assets in Alaska, particularly the Estelle project, which spans over 500 km² in the Tintina Gold Belt [4] - The Estelle project has identified up to 20 prospects, including four significant gold deposits, with a total resource of nearly 10 million ounces, making it one of the largest undeveloped gold projects globally [5] Group 4: Antimony Production Plans - Nova Minerals plans to initiate the production of military-grade antimony trisulfide, as the US has not produced antimony commercially since 2016 and relies on imports [7] - The US Department of War provided $43.4 million in funding to support Nova's antimony production plans under the Defense Production Act [7]