On October 9, 2026, Ares Strategic Mining Inc. officially opened its Fluorspar Lumps Plant in Delta, Utah, marking a significant milestone for U.S. critical minerals independence. The plant processes raw fluorspar from the company's fully permitted Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade lumps, an essential ingredient for steel and aluminum production. This opening solidifies Ares as a vertically integrated company controlling the critical mineral from extraction to market-ready forms.
The ceremony, reported by NEWMEDIAWIRE, drew state and federal congressional representatives, local stakeholders, and 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, emphasizing federal commitment to re-domesticating industries like fluorspar. "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," Kennedy said. The State of Utah supported Ares with an $11 million loan.
This development matters because the U.S. had been 100% reliant on foreign fluorspar imports since 1995, when domestic production ceased due to cheaper foreign competition. The reopening of commercial fluorspar production reduces this dependency and strengthens national security. "Ares was built on a simple idea: become the leading fluorspar mining company in North America and return fluorspar manufacturing to the U.S.," said James Walker, CEO of Ares Strategic Mining. "Opening this plant is the start of that realization."
The Spor Mountain district, which historically supplied fluorspar for over eighty years, is once again active. Ares is mining the Spor Mountain, trucking ore to Delta, and processing it on site. Raw fluorspar ore - the star of the ceremony.
Market demand for fluorspar remains robust. Ares holds a $168.9m contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for future acidspar product, and a signed Memorandum of Understanding with global commodities trader Cremer Erzkontor Inc. to distribute metspar across North America. As the only commercial fluorspar operation in the U.S., Ares is favorably positioned. At the plant's 165,347-ton annual capacity and current metspar prices between $350 and $520 per metric ton, potential gross product value exceeds $25 million annually, signaling a transition into revenue generation.
The Lumps Plant sits on a 50-acre site off Highway 6 in Delta, Utah, with a 7-acre footprint. Ares aims to expand with a complementary Acidspar Flotation Plant, whose machinery is already on site and construction has 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. The Lumps Plant will initially be fed by ore from the Lost Sheep Mine, one of 353 claims in the district. Recent geophysical surveys confirmed 49 additional preliminary fluorspar targets, and Ares intends to supply both plants from these surrounding claims. The company is also collaborating with Found Industries to recover gallium, germanium, and other strategic critical materials from its feedstocks.
This announcement signals a new chapter for U.S. industrial self-sufficiency, with Ares Strategic Mining at the forefront of reviving a critical domestic industry.
