Energy Department allocates $60M for two critical mineral programs

Listen to the article
3 minutes

This sound is produced automatically. Please let us know if you have feedback.

Dive brief:

• The agency announced on August 25 that the Ministry of Energy will be available for up to $ 60 million for two important mineral programs.
• A program aimed at supporting technology development organizations to shorten the evaluation time table for ore deposits. Another case of using high -power artificial intelligence tests to create new types of rare magnets on earth.
• “The faster and more accurate development of resource evaluation tools, and the creation of a more powerful class of magnetic materials, enables the United States to unlock internal reserves, enhances supply chains, and enhance US energy and economic security,” said Daniel Kaningham, Managing Director of Advanced Project Research.

Dive insight:

These programs are in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order on March 20 to develop important US mineral resources. The order seeks to reduce the country’s self -esteem for foreign countries for materials needed for domestic and military production.

Two weeks after the construction of nearly $ 1 billion for projects that have made the development and development of mining, processing and production technologies for important minerals, the Ministry of Energy launched the last round of budgeting opportunities.

DOE has allocated $ 40 million to the trusted mine characteristics with the Keystone Assessment Program. This budget targets the development of advanced drilling technologies, measurement and analysis that reduces the time needed to evaluate ore reserves from years to month.

The department allocates the remaining $ 20 million budget to the magnetic acceleration of new innovations and tactical results. This financing supports the development of new magnetic materials with chemicals and new microstructures in each Doe.

DOE said the magneto budget targets organizations that use AI, machine learning and high -powered testing. The latter refers to research techniques that use automatic and parallel processing systems to conduct a large number of tests simultaneously or in a row.

The government said the financial support threatens national and economic security due to over -reliance on foreign nations for extracting and processing important minerals.

In 2023, according to a Ministry of Energy, the United States imported 100 % out of 12 out of 50 important minerals. China is a US economic and political competitor, a major producer of rare metals and magnets for semiconductors, automakers, aerospace producers and military contractors.