Ares Strategic Mining Begins Ore Transport and Processing at Delta Facility, Advancing Live-Material Ramp-Up

August 18, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Ares Strategic Mining Inc. has begun transporting fluorspar ore from its Lost Sheep Mine in Utah to its processing facility in Delta, Utah, marking a significant operational milestone. The mined ore is now being processed at the company's Metallurgical Lumps Plant, initiating the live-material ramp-up phase.

This transition signifies the connection of the mine and the processing plant, a culmination of years dedicated to mine development, engineering, construction, equipment installation, and systems commissioning. The operation has progressed from underground development, ventilation, and mining infrastructure construction to the present phase of extracting, transporting, and processing ore.

Over the next week, Ares' operations team will utilize increasing quantities of actual mined material to fine-tune and optimize the Lumps Plant settings and operating parameters based on the specific characteristics of the Lost Sheep ore. This live-material ramp-up is designed to progressively refine the plant's performance before moving towards sustained production rates.

James Walker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ares Strategic Mining, stated that the arrival of ore trucks and the feeding of material into the processing circuit represent a fundamental shift from plant construction to actual mining and processing operations. He emphasized that the company has now connected the mine to the plant, establishing the physical supply chain that has been under development for years. Walker noted that the team will use real ore to optimize the plant and understand its behavior through each processing stage, leading to more informed operating decisions and consistent production.

The Lumps Plant has undergone integrated commissioning, bringing its electrical, conveyor, control, crushing, and drying systems online. The introduction of mine-run ore now allows operators to evaluate and refine plant performance, including ore feed rates, crushing efficiency, conveyor loading, drying parameters, automated sequences, material flow, and final product quality. The plant's design incorporates substantial capacity for potential future production of metallurgical-grade fluorspar, essential for steelmaking and other metallurgical applications.

This milestone is particularly significant for Ares' shareholders, demonstrating the company's progression from resource development to an operating mining and processing business. The visible movement of ore from the mine to the plant provides a tangible representation of this transition.

The operational ramp-up occurs against a backdrop of strategic importance for U.S. mineral security. Fluorspar is listed on the 2025 U.S. List of Critical Minerals, highlighting its economic and national security importance and supply chain vulnerabilities. The United States has historically been 100% net import reliant for fluorspar, with significant domestic mine production not reported for decades. Ares views its mine-to-plant operations as a step toward rebuilding domestic industrial capability.

The company has also secured a multi-year Defense Logistics Agency framework for the future supply of acid-grade fluorspar, reinforcing the need for scalable domestic mining and processing capabilities. Ares' strategy involves two processing plants: the Metallurgical Lumps Plant for near-term production of metallurgical-grade fluorspar and an adjacent Flotation Plant, currently under development, designed to produce higher-purity acid-grade fluorspar. This dual-plant approach aims to provide control over extraction, processing, product quality, and delivery.

Ares has established commercial arrangements for its anticipated initial metallurgical-grade fluorspar output, ensuring a route to market as the Lumps Plant progresses through ramp-up. The immediate operational priority is to optimize plant performance, increase ore feed, assess product specifications, and establish repeatable operating parameters.

Ares Strategic Mining Inc. is the only domestic fluorspar producer in the United States, developing a vertically integrated critical minerals platform through its Lost Sheep Mine and processing facilities in Utah. The company's operations are focused on supplying high-grade fluorspar to North American markets.

Source: Ares Strategic Mining Inc.