Perpetua Resources Corp. (Nasdaq: PPTA / TSX: PPTA) (“Perpetua Resources” or “Perpetua” or the “Company”) today announced that it has entered an agreement with the Idaho National Laboratory (“INL”) via Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (“Battelle”) for the INL to host, commission, and operate a flexible, modular pilot processing plant expected to be capable of recovering various critical and defense-related minerals, including antimony from the Company’s ores.
This initiative is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of producing high-quality, military specification antimony trisulfide using material from Perpetua’s Stibnite Gold Project (“Project”). In addition, it will provide opportunities to advance domestic defense mineral processing capabilities and strengthen workforce training in Idaho.
“We are proud to collaborate with Idaho National Laboratory to further strengthen America’s defense capabilities and help secure a domestic source of antimony trisulfide,” said Jon Cherry, President and CEO of Perpetua Resources. “This partnership highlights Idaho’s role in national security and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to responsible resource development, job creation, and workforce training in Idaho. The successful demonstration of this plant will contribute to sustained growth in American mineral independence and resilience.”
Locating the pilot plant at INL leverages the lab’s critical and strategic materials and defense programs. Trained operators and specialized staff members will commission and operate the plant, which will consist of several modular containers with the necessary equipment to conduct pilot-scale testing. Once installed, the pilot plant will receive samples of material from the Stibnite Gold Project and operators will conduct pilot-scale testing to produce antimony trisulfide concentrate needed for munitions and advanced systems used by U.S. military personnel.
This pilot plant initiative is part of a broader partnership between Perpetua Resources and the U.S. Army via the Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (“DOTC”) to secure domestic sources of critical minerals. In May 2025, Perpetua was awarded up to $6.9 million in additional DOTC funding, bringing the Company’s total DOTC awards up to $22.4 million. This extended award combines Perpetua’s Idaho-based antimony resource with INL’s world-class scientific research capabilities to support the U.S. Army’s objective of establishing a fully domestic “ground-to-round” antimony trisulfide supply chain.
“This partnership brings together Perpetua’s antimony resources with INL’s expertise in materials processing to address a critical national security need,” said John Wagner, INL Director. “Establishing domestic production capabilities for antimony trisulfide essential for munitions and defense systems strengthens America’s supply chain resilience while advancing Idaho’s leadership in critical minerals and workforce development.”
Critical materials research at INL concentrates on the components essential for energy and national security. INL has expansive expertise, including cutting-edge research areas like mineral characterization, geochemical modeling, and material separation.
U.S. House Representative Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) applauded today’s announcement, stating, “As a longtime supporter of the Idaho National Laboratory and Perpetua Resources’ efforts in domestic antimony production, I am thrilled to see this partnership come together. Idaho has the potential to provide our country with a domestic source of critical minerals that are essential to our national security needs. This partnership is a win for Idaho, and I am pleased to see our great state once again play such a pivotal role on the world stage.”
The Stibnite Gold Project is the only identified reserve of antimony in America. The Company expects to supply up to 35 percent of U.S. antimony demand during its first six years of operations while meeting long-term Department of War antimony needs. In addition to providing for American national security, the Project will create hundreds of family-wage jobs, restore fish access to critical spawning habitat, address legacy environmental degradation, and improve water quality at an historical abandoned mine site.
Source: www.investors.perpetuaresources.com
Aleksei Andrievskii is the founder of the ANDRIEVSKII SEA WEALTH family office in Cyprus, a member of the advisory board at Bendura Bank AG, Liechtenstein