Nova Minerals Completes Equipment Deliveries for Alaska, US Antimony Refinery Ahead of 2027 Production

The last major pieces of processing and refining equipment for Nova Minerals Corp's planned antimony facility reached Port MacKenzie, Alaska, on October 6, 2026, clearing the way for construction of the processing and refinery plant to start within weeks, pending outstanding permits.

Final Consignment Includes Ball Mills, Crusher and Filter Presses

The consignment comprised two ball mills, a jaw crusher, an apron feeder, hydraulic filter presses, and other ancillary equipment needed for antimony recovery, delivered in a further 10 truckloads.

The arrival follows a September 6 barge shipment at the port of more than 40 containers carrying a 500-ton load of ore processing and refining equipment.

Nova sourced the modern milling and processing equipment from a recently decommissioned site in North America, a move the company says accelerates construction and delivers meaningful cost savings. First antimony production is targeted for 2027.

Fall Window Opens for Earthworks and Winter Build-Out

Early earthworks at Port MacKenzie are already underway, and Nova plans to press on with construction activities through the winter months, taking advantage of favorable fall conditions.

The facility is designed to process stibnite-bearing material and initially produce antimony metal and military-grade trisulfide under the company's USD 43.4 million award from the U.S. Department of War.

A modular design gives Nova flexibility to scale operations over time and respond to evolving market requirements, including building an integrated domestic antimony supply chain within the United States.

Nova CEO Christopher Gerteisen said the delivery brings the company a step closer to a secure, vertically integrated antimony supply chain for the U.S. domestic market. He noted the Department of War has designated antimony a strategic priority for national and economic security given its necessity in defense, energy storage, and advanced electronic applications.

Although the 2026 field season, supported by three diamond rigs from June through September, has concluded, he said activity at both Estelle and Port MacKenzie is continuing at pace.

Access Roads and Airstrip Upgrades Progress at Estelle

Site infrastructure work is advancing in parallel at the Estelle Critical Minerals and Gold Project.

The Korzel-Stibium access road is progressing at pace and is set to provide year-round overland access to the northern prospects, including the Stibium antimony-gold prospect and the Korbel gold deposit, while cutting costs by reducing reliance on helicopter support.

At the Whiskey Bravo airstrip, expansion and apron works continue with the aim of upgrading the strip to handle C-130 Hercules-sized aircraft. That shift would lift freight capacity from the current 7,000 lbs of the DC-3 to 42,000 lbs and deliver significant freight cost savings.

The proposed RPM road alignment has been established, with initial environmental baseline studies completed ahead of a permitting application.

Meanwhile, steel fabrication and site preparation are ongoing at the Whiskey Bravo crushing and ore sorting facility at the Estelle camp, which will produce a coarse intermediate concentrate for transport to the Port MacKenzie downstream processing and refining plant.

8,000 Metres of Drilling Wraps as Samples Head to Labs

The 2026 field season at Estelle closed with approximately 8,000 metres of drilling completed. Three diamond core rigs operated around the clock, seven days a week, between June and September to capitalize on longer Alaskan summer daylight.

The program concentrated on infill and resource expansion drilling at the RPM gold deposit to advance the Pre-Feasibility Study, with several drill pads established at RPM for the campaign.

Beyond RPM, the Stibium and Styx antimony prospects are progressing toward potential resource delineation and production. Samples and drill cores from the field program have been prepared and shipped for analysis, with assay results expected in due course.

Permitting and Assay Results Next as First Antimony Targeted for 2027

With the equipment now on site, drilling complete, and infrastructure works advancing, Nova's focus shifts to securing the remaining permits for Port MacKenzie while winter construction continues at both the port site and the Estelle camp.

The pending assay results from the roughly 8,000-metre program are expected to inform the advancing Pre-Feasibility Study at RPM and potential resource delineation at the Stibium and Styx antimony prospects, as the company works toward first antimony in 2027.