Federal grant moves Victory closer to commercial production
Australia’s push to strengthen domestic rare earth processing has received another boost, with Victory Metals securing a $350,000 Federal Resources Technology and Critical Minerals (RTCM) Trailblazer grant to advance the North Stanmore project in Western Australia.
“This grant is an important moment for Victory Metals,” Victory Metals chief executive officer and executive director Brendan Clark said.
“To receive this support from the RTCM Trailblazer is a powerful validation of our team’s work and the national importance of what we are building.”
The grant builds on the recent commissioning of Victory’s rare earth pilot plant in Perth, which was officially opened by Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King.
Over the next two years, Curtin University researchers will work alongside Victory’s technical team to refine the company’s processing methods and help advance towards commercial production.
“This project is a strong example of how industry and research can work together to accelerate the development and commercialisation of critical minerals processing technologies,” Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer director Rohan McDougall said.
North Stanmore is one of Australia’s largest heavy rare earth-enriched regolith deposits, with the research focused on improving the recovery and separation of high-value heavy rare earth elements, including dysprosium, terbium and yttrium.
The Trailblazer funding builds on Victory’s pilot plant as the company advances towards commercial production.