Recent project developments still won’t meet the domestic supply gap in the US.

The USA relies heavily on fluorspar imports to meet its domestic demand. Since the beginning of this year, approximately 93% of fluorspar consumption has been sourced from Mexico, facilitated by the United States-Canada-Mexico Free Trade Agreement, with an additional 6% coming from China and the remainder from Mongolia. This total reliance on foreign supply chains underscores the strategic vulnerability of fluorspar in the US market. Fluorspar is critical to the production of hydrofluoric acid and a wide range of essential fluorinated compounds that are important in the energy transition.

Looking at domestic fluorspar projects, Ares Strategic Mining is making progress with the recent announcement that it has secured US$11M in funding in the form of a loan from the Utah State Legislature and the Utah Community Impact Board (CIB) to aid the development of the Lost Sheep mine. The mine is currently the only permitted and licensed fluorspar mine in the USA. Lost Sheep is strategically important not only for its fluorspar reserves, but also for the confirmed presence of gallium, a key mineral in semiconductor manufacturing, particularly in the production of gallium nitrate.

Meanwhile, Globex Mining Enterprises is also exploring for fluorspar within the country, aiming at reviewing the resources at historic workings. The company has acquired a 100% stake in a contiguous claim block located in Lincoln County, Nevada. Geologists from Globex have collected 25 samples from an old open-pit fluorspar mine, with preliminary results showing fluorite grades ranging from 49.83% to 88.15% CaF2. Historically, this mine had an estimated production capacity of 44.9kt until its closure in 1971, with an average grade of 69% CaF2.

The addition of fluorine and its derivatives to the tariff exemption list by the Trump administration, published on 7 April 2025, underscores the growing recognition of fluorine's strategic and industrial importance. It emphasises the necessity of developing fluorspar projects within the USA to establish a domestic supply chain for the critical material amid ongoing tension between protectionist measures and the necessity for reliable access to essential high-tech materials that cannot be easily substituted.