Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (CSE: ARS) announced it will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 9, 2026, at its ARES Processing Facility in Delta, Utah, formally marking the opening of its new Lumps Plant. The facility processes raw fluorspar ore mined at Ares' fully permitted Lost Sheep Mine — a 5,982-acre property in Juab County — into metallurgical-grade fluorspar (metspar) for industrial customers. The company states that ore is already being transported from the mine to the Delta site and introduced into the processing circuit, signalling an active transition from development to production. Investors may be watching this milestone as it represents the company's first integrated mine-to-plant fluorspar operation on U.S. soil.

Key Points

  • Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (CSE: ARS | OTCQX: ARSMF | FRA: N8I1)
  • Official ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on October 9, 2026, at the Delta, Utah processing facility
  • Ares received an $11 million state-supported loan through the Utah Community Impact Board to advance Utah operations
  • Investors may be watching the ramp-up of metspar production and commercial distribution under the previously announced Cremer Erzkontor MOU

Lost Sheep Ore Now Moving Through the Delta Lumps Plant

The Lumps Plant converts run-of-mine fluorspar extracted at the Lost Sheep Mine into industry-ready metspar, which is used principally as a fluxing agent in steel and aluminum production. The release states that Ares' operations team is actively optimising the plant around the specific characteristics of Lost Sheep ore as production ramps up. The Lost Sheep Mine sits approximately 214 kilometres south-west of Salt Lake City in the Spor Mountain area and holds full Bureau of Land Management approval, with a mining plan originally approved in 1992 and renewed in 2016.

Federal and State Officials Joining the October 9 Ceremony in Delta

Confirmed attendees include U.S. Representative Mike Kennedy, a representative from U.S. Senator John Curtis's office, Utah State Senator David P. Hinkins, Utah Office of Energy Development Director Emy Lesofski, and Acting Director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining Dana Dean. The release also states that Ares is coordinating attendance from representatives of the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, and the Defense Logistics Agency, with final names to be confirmed. President and CEO James Walker and Found Industries President and CEO Peter Godart are among the scheduled speakers.

Utah Legislation and $11 Million Loan Backed the Processing Infrastructure

Legislation passed during Utah's 2025 General Session broadened the legal definition of a "throughput infrastructure project" to encompass critical-mineral extraction and processing infrastructure. Following that change, Ares received an $11 million state-supported loan through the Utah Community Impact Board. The company has also previously announced a Memorandum of Understanding with global commodities trader Cremer Erzkontor Inc. covering metspar distribution across North America, providing a disclosed commercial pathway for finished product from the Delta facility.

Acidspar Flotation Plant Construction Advances as the Next Processing Stage

Beyond the Lumps Plant, Ares states it is advancing construction of a complementary Acidspar Flotation Plant at the Delta site. That facility is intended to produce higher-purity acid-grade fluorspar targeting chemical, technology, energy, and strategic-material applications — end markets that command different specifications than metspar. The disclosure suggests Ares is building a multi-stage processing platform designed to serve a broader range of industrial buyers from its single Utah mine-and-processing complex.