Ares Strategic Mining Inc. will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at its processing facility in Delta, Utah, formally opening a new Lumps Plant that marks a significant milestone in the return of domestic fluorspar processing to the United States. The facility processes raw fluorspar from the company’s fully permitted Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade fluorspar, known as metspar. The ceremony comes as Ares has begun transporting mined ore to Delta and introducing live material into the processing circuit, with the operations team optimizing the plant around the characteristics of Lost Sheep ore as production ramps up.
The event will bring together federal and state officials, strategic partners, industry leaders, and local stakeholders to recognize the completion of infrastructure that directly connects Ares’ Utah mine with a purpose-built U.S. processing operation. Confirmed attendees include U.S. Representative Mike Kennedy, Carson Brown from the Office of U.S. Senator John Curtis, Utah State Senator David P. Hinkins, Emy Lesofski, Director of the Utah Office of Energy Development, Dana Dean, Acting Director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, James Walker, President and CEO of Ares Strategic Mining, and Peter Godart, President and CEO of Found Industries. Scheduled speakers include Peter Godart, Representative Kennedy, James Walker, and a federal government representative. Ares is also coordinating attendance from representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, and Defense Logistics Agency.
In a statement, James Walker, President and CEO of Ares, said, “We have reached the moment when years of permitting, mine development, engineering, construction and financing have become a working U.S. mine-to-plant operation. Ore is being mined, trucked to our facility and run through the plant. Friday gives us the opportunity to recognize the team, shareholders, public-sector partners and local community who helped turn that plan into physical infrastructure. For Ares, this is the beginning of an entirely new chapter.”
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: 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 distribution of its metspar product across North America.
The ceremony will also recognize the State of Utah’s support for the development of domestic critical-mineral infrastructure. 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 support we have received in Utah has allowed Ares to move from plans and engineering drawings to mine development, processing infrastructure and physical production,” Walker said. “We are proud to celebrate this milestone in Delta with many of the people and organizations that have supported the project, and we look forward to showing what has been built.”
The Lumps Plant is the first major processing component of Ares’ broader Utah strategy. The company is also advancing construction of its complementary Acidspar Flotation Plant, which is intended to produce higher-purity acid-grade fluorspar for chemical, technology, energy, and strategic-material applications. With mining underway, ore moving to the processing site, and the Lumps Plant entering live-material operations, Friday’s ribbon cutting will provide a formal public marker of the company’s transition into an operating mine-and-processing business. Ares expects to provide a further update following the ceremony. View the original release on www.newmediawire.com.
