NYSE- and ASX-listed Nova Minerals has welcomed an executive order by US President Donald Trump on July 20 to secure the US’s defence supply chains and ensure the domestic acquisition of critical minerals.

This order coincides with Nova Minerals’ current operational objective of developing a modern, fully integrated and secure US domestic antimony supply chain spanning mining through to refining in Alaska and the company believes the executive order represents a significant milestone supporting the development of US domestic critical minerals capacity.

Nova Minerals highlights that the US remains heavily reliant on imports for many critical minerals, including antimony, which is key to the country’s economic resilience and defence capabilities.

Further, the company says the executive order also mandates end-to-end supply chain traceability, including the verification of the origin of raw materials and the assessment of foreign ownership and supply risks, while restricting materials sourced from entities linked to designated foreign adversaries.

Moreover, Nova Minerals points out that these measures will require defence contractors to rapidly qualify alternative US domestic and allied suppliers, increasing demand for secure and compliant sources of critical minerals.

To complement the executive order signed by Trump, Nova Minerals also highlights that it is already building the kind of secure and fully integrated US domestic critical minerals supply chain the executive order is designed to encourage, with the first antimony production from its pilot plant targeted for 2027.

The company also notes that, in October 2025, it was awarded a $43.4-million Defence Production Act Title Three award by the US Department of War to support the development of an antimony mine at its Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals project, and a downstream refinery at Port MacKenzie, both located in Alaska.

The engineering and design for the Port MacKenzie pilot plant facility has been completed, the company notes, with a scalable processing hub designed to treat concentrate from Estelle and potential third-party domestic and allied feedstocks.

Moreover, the procurement of process plant equipment is under way, with key components delivered or in transit and construction expected to start in the coming months.

Nova Minerals CEO Christopher Gerteisen says Port MacKenzie is expected to provide a strategic US processing and toll-treatment capability, providing defence contractors with access to compliant military-grade antimony products and supporting a more secure and resilient domestic and allied supply chain.

“This executive order reflects the direction of US policy on critical minerals sourcing that has informed our work at the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals project and our planned processing infrastructure at Port MacKenzie.

“It aligns directly with our vision to develop responsible, world-class mining and refining operations that contribute to US resource security and national defence priorities,” Gerteisen comments.