Australia’s antimony mines don’t yet guarantee reliable supply
Australia has identified antimony resources and established financing mechanisms, but there remains a considerable distance between having antimony in the ground and being able to supply it when national security depends on it. China accounts for 70 to 80 percent of global antimony production and processing, and its export restrictions have demonstrated how readily critical minerals can become instruments of economic coercion. Recent shipments include Nyrstar’s first commercial-grade antimony metal from its Port Pirie demonstration plant in February and Larvotto Resources’ 68 tonnes of antimony concentrate from its Hillgrove mine in October under an existing purchase agreement with Wogen Resources.
Why it matters: The article shows that critical minerals policy must address processing and stockpiling capacity, not only mining, if supply-chain resilience is the goal.