US Critical Materials Forms Strategic Alliance for Gallium Supply

US Critical Materials Corp. has entered a strategic advisory alliance with GreenMet to accelerate domestic rare earth and gallium production.

The Salt Lake City company says its Sheep Creek deposit in Montana contains the highest-grade reported gallium resource in the United States, averaging about 300 ppm versus roughly 50 ppm historically imported. Gallium, vital for advanced semiconductors, defense electronics and satellite systems, will be a priority feedstock under a Phase II CRADA with Idaho National Laboratory.

Independent assays from INL and Activation Labs show Sheep Creek hosts roughly 9% total rare earths (≈89,932 ppm) and combined neodymium-praseodymium at about 2.4% (≈23,810 ppm). The initial 2.5-square-mile working area is part of an 11-square-mile claim containing over 60 carbonatite formations, indicating substantial high-grade potential.

Following an Executive Order on March 20, 2025, the partners have begun talks with a major Army installation in Alabama to site environmentally benign processing, strategic storage and an Innovation Center to support warfighting and supply-chain resilience. GreenMet, led by founder Drew Horn, will advise on federal grants and concessional financing to scale domestic processing.

Company leadership emphasizes that developing secure, high-grade domestic sources of gallium and rare earths is central to U.S. technological independence and national security.