The weekly federal-spending brief. One email a Sunday. Free. No tracking.
The BuildoutBeta

critical minerals

critical-minerals
AWARDS26·TOTAL$4.8B
Top agencies funding this sector
Department of Energy
$4.7B 96%
Department of the Treasury
$135.2M 3%
Department of Defense
$45.5M 1%
Recent awards in this sector
Action dateRecipientAgencyAmountDescriptionSectorStatus
2026-06-25IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYDepartment of Energy$1,118,127,580MULTI-PROGRAM NATIONAL PHYSICAL RESEARCH INCLUDING RARE EARTHS AND USE OF AMES MPC.critical-mineralsactive
2026-06-25IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYDepartment of Energy$1,118,127,580MULTI-PROGRAM NATIONAL PHYSICAL RESEARCH INCLUDING RARE EARTHS AND USE OF AMES MPC.critical-mineralsactive
2026-04-14WIELAND NORTH AMERICA RECYCLING LLCDepartment of Energy$270,000,000THIS PROJECT, “FACILITY TO REDUCE EMISSIONS FOR SOURCING PURE CRITICAL MINERALS AND METALS,” INTENDS TO EXPAND THE CAPACITY AND CAPABILITIES OF A MODERN, FIRST-OF-A-KIND (FOAK) COPPER RECYCLING FACILITY IN SHELBYVILLE, KY THAT WOULD ENABLE PRODUCTION OF COPPER-CATHODE EQUIVALENT MATERIAL (I.E., A COPPER CATHODE SUBSTITUTE) FOR USE IN ADVANCED APPLICATIONS (E.G., ELECTRIC VEHICLES, BATTERIES, AND SEMICONDUCTORS) WITH LOWER EMISSIONS THAN CONVENTIONAL COPPER RECYCLING. THE PROJECT IS ALSO EXPECTED TO SUPPORT ELECTRIFICATION WITHIN THE UNITED STATES BY PRODUCING COPPER-DERIVED WIRE AND BUS BARS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL MATERIALS FOR ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION. BY RECYCLING COPPER SCRAP DOMESTICALLY, UNDER THIS PROJECT, WIELAND EXPECTS TO PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY 35K METRIC TONS PER ANNUM (MTPA) OF 99.99% PURITY REFINED COPPER INGOT, 35K MTPA OF COPPER WIRE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AND OVER 20K MTPA OF COPPER CATHODE, THEREBY REDUCING THE NEED FOR COPPER DERIVED FROM ORE FROM COPPER MINES. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE THE SHELBYVILLE COMMUNITY WITH GREATER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND IMPROVED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF APPROXIMATELY 130 PERMANENT JOBS AND PRIORITIZE HIRING FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO JOBS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED WORKERS AND WORKERS FROM DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON ONSHORING KEY AMERICAN MANUFACTURING WITH HIGH-PAYING, HIGH-SKILL JOBS. WIELAND COMMITS TO TWO-WAY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD AND SUBSEQUENT COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT.critical-mineralsactive
2026-04-14WIELAND NORTH AMERICA RECYCLING LLCDepartment of Energy$270,000,000THIS PROJECT, “FACILITY TO REDUCE EMISSIONS FOR SOURCING PURE CRITICAL MINERALS AND METALS,” INTENDS TO EXPAND THE CAPACITY AND CAPABILITIES OF A MODERN, FIRST-OF-A-KIND (FOAK) COPPER RECYCLING FACILITY IN SHELBYVILLE, KY THAT WOULD ENABLE PRODUCTION OF COPPER-CATHODE EQUIVALENT MATERIAL (I.E., A COPPER CATHODE SUBSTITUTE) FOR USE IN ADVANCED APPLICATIONS (E.G., ELECTRIC VEHICLES, BATTERIES, AND SEMICONDUCTORS) WITH LOWER EMISSIONS THAN CONVENTIONAL COPPER RECYCLING. THE PROJECT IS ALSO EXPECTED TO SUPPORT ELECTRIFICATION WITHIN THE UNITED STATES BY PRODUCING COPPER-DERIVED WIRE AND BUS BARS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL MATERIALS FOR ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION. BY RECYCLING COPPER SCRAP DOMESTICALLY, UNDER THIS PROJECT, WIELAND EXPECTS TO PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY 35K METRIC TONS PER ANNUM (MTPA) OF 99.99% PURITY REFINED COPPER INGOT, 35K MTPA OF COPPER WIRE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AND OVER 20K MTPA OF COPPER CATHODE, THEREBY REDUCING THE NEED FOR COPPER DERIVED FROM ORE FROM COPPER MINES. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE THE SHELBYVILLE COMMUNITY WITH GREATER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND IMPROVED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF APPROXIMATELY 130 PERMANENT JOBS AND PRIORITIZE HIRING FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO JOBS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED WORKERS AND WORKERS FROM DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON ONSHORING KEY AMERICAN MANUFACTURING WITH HIGH-PAYING, HIGH-SKILL JOBS. WIELAND COMMITS TO TWO-WAY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD AND SUBSEQUENT COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT.critical-mineralsactive
2026-04-14WIELAND NORTH AMERICA RECYCLING LLCDepartment of Energy$270,000,000THIS PROJECT, “FACILITY TO REDUCE EMISSIONS FOR SOURCING PURE CRITICAL MINERALS AND METALS,” INTENDS TO EXPAND THE CAPACITY AND CAPABILITIES OF A MODERN, FIRST-OF-A-KIND (FOAK) COPPER RECYCLING FACILITY IN SHELBYVILLE, KY THAT WOULD ENABLE PRODUCTION OF COPPER-CATHODE EQUIVALENT MATERIAL (I.E., A COPPER CATHODE SUBSTITUTE) FOR USE IN ADVANCED APPLICATIONS (E.G., ELECTRIC VEHICLES, BATTERIES, AND SEMICONDUCTORS) WITH LOWER EMISSIONS THAN CONVENTIONAL COPPER RECYCLING. THE PROJECT IS ALSO EXPECTED TO SUPPORT ELECTRIFICATION WITHIN THE UNITED STATES BY PRODUCING COPPER-DERIVED WIRE AND BUS BARS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL MATERIALS FOR ELECTRIC POWER DISTRIBUTION. BY RECYCLING COPPER SCRAP DOMESTICALLY, UNDER THIS PROJECT, WIELAND EXPECTS TO PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY 35K METRIC TONS PER ANNUM (MTPA) OF 99.99% PURITY REFINED COPPER INGOT, 35K MTPA OF COPPER WIRE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AND OVER 20K MTPA OF COPPER CATHODE, THEREBY REDUCING THE NEED FOR COPPER DERIVED FROM ORE FROM COPPER MINES. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE THE SHELBYVILLE COMMUNITY WITH GREATER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND IMPROVED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF APPROXIMATELY 130 PERMANENT JOBS AND PRIORITIZE HIRING FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO JOBS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED WORKERS AND WORKERS FROM DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON ONSHORING KEY AMERICAN MANUFACTURING WITH HIGH-PAYING, HIGH-SKILL JOBS. WIELAND COMMITS TO TWO-WAY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF A COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD AND SUBSEQUENT COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT.critical-mineralsactive
2026-03-17SWA LITHIUM LLCDepartment of Energy$125,666,971BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) – DOMESTIC PRODUCTION OF LITHIUM CARBONATE FROM THE SMACKOVER FORMATION BRINES IN SOUTHERN ARKANSAS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SOUTH WEST ARKANSAS (SWA) PROJECT IS TO CONSTRUCT THE LARGEST AND FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND DIRECT LITHIUM EXTRACTION (DLE) FACILITY PRODUCING BATTERY-QUALITY LITHIUM CARBONATE (LI2CO3) FROM DOMESTIC LI BRINE IN NORTH AMERICA.critical-mineralsexpiring · 0d
2026-03-17SWA LITHIUM LLCDepartment of Energy$125,666,971BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) – DOMESTIC PRODUCTION OF LITHIUM CARBONATE FROM THE SMACKOVER FORMATION BRINES IN SOUTHERN ARKANSAS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SOUTH WEST ARKANSAS (SWA) PROJECT IS TO CONSTRUCT THE LARGEST AND FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND DIRECT LITHIUM EXTRACTION (DLE) FACILITY PRODUCING BATTERY-QUALITY LITHIUM CARBONATE (LI2CO3) FROM DOMESTIC LI BRINE IN NORTH AMERICA.critical-mineralsexpiring · 0d
2026-03-17SWA LITHIUM LLCDepartment of Energy$125,666,971BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) – DOMESTIC PRODUCTION OF LITHIUM CARBONATE FROM THE SMACKOVER FORMATION BRINES IN SOUTHERN ARKANSAS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE SOUTH WEST ARKANSAS (SWA) PROJECT IS TO CONSTRUCT THE LARGEST AND FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND DIRECT LITHIUM EXTRACTION (DLE) FACILITY PRODUCING BATTERY-QUALITY LITHIUM CARBONATE (LI2CO3) FROM DOMESTIC LI BRINE IN NORTH AMERICA.critical-mineralsexpiring · 0d
2026-02-25CIRBA SOLUTIONS, LLCDepartment of Energy$122,993,646BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL): CIRBA SOLUTIONS - SOUTH CAROLINA FACILITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO EXPAND DOMESTIC LITHIUM ION RECYCLING CAPACITY TO CREATE A CLOSED LOOP DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAIN.critical-mineralsactive
2026-02-25CIRBA SOLUTIONS, LLCDepartment of Energy$122,993,646BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL): CIRBA SOLUTIONS - SOUTH CAROLINA FACILITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO EXPAND DOMESTIC LITHIUM ION RECYCLING CAPACITY TO CREATE A CLOSED LOOP DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAIN.critical-mineralsactive
2026-05-19SOUTH32 HERMOSA INCDepartment of Energy$122,993,646BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW: PRODUCING BATTERY-GRADE MANGANESE IN ARIZONA THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SUSTAINABLY PRODUCE UP TO 185 KILOTONS PER ANNUM OF HIGH PURITY MANGANESE SULFATE MONOHYDRATE THROUGH ITS PROJECTED MINE LIFE OF UP TO 70 YEARS.critical-mineralsactive
2026-02-25CIRBA SOLUTIONS, LLCDepartment of Energy$122,993,646BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL): CIRBA SOLUTIONS - SOUTH CAROLINA FACILITY. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO EXPAND DOMESTIC LITHIUM ION RECYCLING CAPACITY TO CREATE A CLOSED LOOP DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAIN.critical-mineralsactive
2026-05-19MITRA FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Department of Energy$100,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) AMERICAN PRODUCTION OF LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE AND FUTURE INNOVATION (AMPLIFI) THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO ESTABLISH 15 KILO TONNES PER ANNUM (KTPA) OF DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING CAPABILITY OF IRA-COMPLIANT LITHIUM IRON PHOSPHATE (LFP) CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIALS FOR ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS (ESS) AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) APPLICATIONS.critical-mineralsexpiring · 0d
2026-03-03MEXICHEM FLUOR INC.Department of Energy$100,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - LIPF6 MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ST. GABRIEL, LOUISIANA THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO BUILD A DOMESTIC LITHIUM HEXAFLUOROPHOSPHATE (LIPF6) MANUFACTURING PLANT ON THE GROUNDS OF RECIPIENT’S EXISTING FLUOROCHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITE.critical-mineralsexpiring · 31d
2026-03-03MEXICHEM FLUOR INC.Department of Energy$100,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - LIPF6 MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ST. GABRIEL, LOUISIANA THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO BUILD A DOMESTIC LITHIUM HEXAFLUOROPHOSPHATE (LIPF6) MANUFACTURING PLANT ON THE GROUNDS OF RECIPIENT’S EXISTING FLUOROCHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITE.critical-mineralsexpiring · 31d
2026-04-22FORGE BATTERY, INC.Department of Energy$100,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - FORGE BATTERY’S 3GWH COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENT OF ADVANCED LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PRODUCTION FACILITY WITH DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAIN THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A 277,000 SQ/FT FACILITY, TO PRODUCE HIGH-CAPACITY LITHIUM-ION 21700 CYLINDRICAL CELLS AT 3GWH/YR PRODUCTION RATES. THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES INCLUDE BUILDING A PRODUCTION FACILITY, SCALING UP OUR ATOMIC ARMOR TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE COMPETITIVE PRICING ACROSS SPECIALTY MARKETS, CREATING PERMANENT JOBS AND DELIVERING A COMMUNITY BENEFITS PLAN WITH A ROBUST WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.critical-mineralsactive
2026-03-03MEXICHEM FLUOR INC.Department of Energy$100,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - LIPF6 MANUFACTURING PLANT IN ST. GABRIEL, LOUISIANA THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT IS TO BUILD A DOMESTIC LITHIUM HEXAFLUOROPHOSPHATE (LIPF6) MANUFACTURING PLANT ON THE GROUNDS OF RECIPIENT’S EXISTING FLUOROCHEMICAL MANUFACTURING SITE.critical-mineralsexpiring · 31d
6K INC.Department of Energy$50,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - PLASMA LOW-COST ULTRA SUSTAINABLE CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIALS THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO CONSTRUCT AND COMMISSION A MULTI-CHEMISTRY CATHODE PRODUCTION FACILITY WITHIN THREE BUDGET PERIODS THAT INCLUDES (1) STARTING THE PLANT CONSTRUCTION, SCALING UP PRODUCTION CAPABILITY, AND STARTING THE DEMONSTRATION OF METAL SALTS PRODUCTION DOMESTICALLY, (2) PLANT IN OPERATION, EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION, METAL SALTS, RECYCLED CATHODE, AND (3) 3 SHIFTS OPERATIONS, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE AND EXPANSION, METAL SALTS, RECYCLED CATHODEcritical-mineralsactive
6K INC.Department of Energy$50,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - PLASMA LOW-COST ULTRA SUSTAINABLE CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIALS THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO CONSTRUCT AND COMMISSION A MULTI-CHEMISTRY CATHODE PRODUCTION FACILITY WITHIN THREE BUDGET PERIODS THAT INCLUDES (1) STARTING THE PLANT CONSTRUCTION, SCALING UP PRODUCTION CAPABILITY, AND STARTING THE DEMONSTRATION OF METAL SALTS PRODUCTION DOMESTICALLY, (2) PLANT IN OPERATION, EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION, METAL SALTS, RECYCLED CATHODE, AND (3) 3 SHIFTS OPERATIONS, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE AND EXPANSION, METAL SALTS, RECYCLED CATHODEcritical-mineralsactive
6K INC.Department of Energy$50,000,000BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) - PLASMA LOW-COST ULTRA SUSTAINABLE CATHODE ACTIVE MATERIALS THE PURPOSE OF THIS AWARD IS TO CONSTRUCT AND COMMISSION A MULTI-CHEMISTRY CATHODE PRODUCTION FACILITY WITHIN THREE BUDGET PERIODS THAT INCLUDES (1) STARTING THE PLANT CONSTRUCTION, SCALING UP PRODUCTION CAPABILITY, AND STARTING THE DEMONSTRATION OF METAL SALTS PRODUCTION DOMESTICALLY, (2) PLANT IN OPERATION, EQUIPMENT QUALIFICATION, METAL SALTS, RECYCLED CATHODE, AND (3) 3 SHIFTS OPERATIONS, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE AND EXPANSION, METAL SALTS, RECYCLED CATHODEcritical-mineralsactive
2026-04-09STONEX FINANCIAL LTDDepartment of the Treasury$46,427,838SILVER RAW MATERIAL MINT MAC SILVER BULLIONcritical-mineralsexpired
2026-04-09STONEX FINANCIAL LTDDepartment of the Treasury$46,427,838SILVER RAW MATERIAL MINT MAC SILVER BULLIONcritical-mineralsexpired
ARCONIC CORPORATIONDepartment of Defense$45,499,812DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT TITLE III, HIGH PURITY ALUMINUM (HPA) PRODUCTION CAPABILITY EXPANSIONcritical-mineralsexpiring · 0d
2026-04-30COLONIAL METALS, INCDepartment of Energy$44,462,993THE SAVANNAH RIVER FIELD OFFICE (SRFO) DESIRES TO PROCURE VIRGIN PALLADIUM SPONGE MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF SPECIFICATION ASTM B 589-94, LESS THAN 5 PPM SULFUR.critical-mineralsactive
2026-04-30COLONIAL METALS, INCDepartment of Energy$44,462,993THE SAVANNAH RIVER FIELD OFFICE (SRFO) DESIRES TO PROCURE VIRGIN PALLADIUM SPONGE MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF SPECIFICATION ASTM B 589-94, LESS THAN 5 PPM SULFUR.critical-mineralsactive
Sources

Sector classifications generated by The Buildout's LLM pipeline. Award data from USAspending.gov. Auto-updated daily.

critical-minerals sector — The Buildout