Locksley Resources Limited, an ASX-listed explorer working on critical minerals in the United States, announced a strategic partnership with Rice University to advance antimony processing and utilization in the U.S. This collaboration strengthens U.S. supply chain resilience and leverages Locksley’s Mojave Project in California.
This initiative supports U.S. government efforts to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals and aims to maximize the potential of Locksley’s Mojave Project in California.
The partnership will focus on developing domestic processing pathways for U.S.-sourced antimony to meet demand in defence and other industries.
The collaboration also aims to advance antimony application in next-generation energy storage systems. The program, building on Rice University’s expertise, will advance antimony capabilities through a dual initiative agreement emphasizing green hydrometallurgical extraction as well as exploration of antimony-based materials for energy storage applications.
The agreement will work on Locksley's advanced project funding of USD 550,000 over the next 12 months to support the development of intellectual property. All intellectual property developed jointly by Rice University and Locksley will be jointly owned. Locksley will establish the first domestic antimony processing capacity in the United States, catering to a critical gap, as currently, a large portion of the refined supply comes from countries outside the U.S. alliance network.
Executive Statement
According to Chairman Nathan Lude, Locksley’s U.S., the company, believes that integrating upstream development with downstream innovation provides a rare opportunity to build a domestic mine-to-materials supply chain aligned with U.S. strategic needs. This positions the company to access a wide range of government funding opportunities. The collaboration will also mark a major step in executing Locksley’s U.S. strategy and helping rebuild downstream capacity through materials innovation.