Nova gets golden ticket to brief Trump-Albo critical minerals talks

• Nova Minerals will brief US and Australian officials on its Estelle gold and critical minerals project ahead of the Trump–Albanese meeting in Washington DC on October 20
• The invitation follows a US Department of War award of US$43.4 million to support Nova’s plans to produce military-spec antimony
• Nova has secured land for its downstream antimony refinery at Port MacKenzie

Special Report: Capping off a great run of US government recognition, emerging ASX gold and antimony company Nova Minerals has been included in the official programme ahead of the Trump-Albanese talks on October 20.

Nova (ASX:NVA) has been invited by Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd to provide a briefing on its Estelle gold and critical minerals project ahead of the meeting between the Australian Prime Minister and US President in Washington DC.

It follows a site visit by Australian Consul-General Tanya Bennett in August which recognised the 9.9Moz Estelle project as a leading example of the deepening collaboration between the two nations on resources and national security.

Since then Nova has been awarded US$43.4 million (A$65.5m) from the US Department of War to support domestic antimony production.

It’s also just been granted land use permits to establish a downstream antimony refinery at Port MacKenzie, a deep-water, commodity focused port near Anchorage in Alaska. This support from federal, state and local governments had already secured Nova pole position in the race for US antimony production, with its commercial output targeted for 2026–27.

From the announcement about the DoW grant at the end of last month, Nova’s share price on the ASX has almost doubled from 44c to 86c.

Prices of the critical mineral have soared sixfold since late 2023 from around US$10,000/t to nearly US$60,000/t, driven by Chinese export bans and tightening international supply.

Despite its strategic importance for defence and energy, the US currently produces no primary antimony on a commercial scale. That leaves the country heavily reliant on imports, mainly from China, with Russia and Tajikistan also producers.

Nova CEO Christopher Gerteisen said: “Being invited to brief the Australian Government for this high-level meeting between Prime Minister Albanese and President Trump is a testament to the strategic importance of the Estelle project.

“With antimony recognized as a critical mineral and our gold resources adding significant value, Nova is well-positioned to contribute to both US and Australian critical minerals strategies.

“The US$43.4 million DoW award and our secured land at Port MacKenzie underscore our commitment to building a secure, domestic supply chain for antimony and supporting US defence and industrial needs. We look forward to continued collaboration with both governments as we advance the Estelle project toward production.”

In the anti-money

A recent RFC Ambrian report identified Nova’s Estelle Project as one of only two US-linked developments with near-term production capability, alongside Perpetua Resources’ Stibnite project in Idaho, which carries a market cap of about A$4.3 billion.

By comparison, Nova’s smaller market valuation gives it substantial upside as it accelerates toward production.

Alongside its critical minerals focus, Nova Minerals’ Estelle project is home to one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits globally, with a 9.9Moz resource. Tidy stuff with gold at all time highs of US$4100/oz.

The company has now wrapped up its 2025 gold drilling program, with assay results due in the coming months. Those results will feed directly into the pre-feasibility study currently underway.

This article was developed in collaboration with Nova Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.