MTM Critical Metals (ASX:MTM) is advancing commercialisation of the Flash Joule Heating (FJH) demonstration plant, following completion of the process design for the group’s one-tonne-per-day plant.
The process design and associated criteria for the plant represents, according to MTM, the most critical engineering milestone so as to establish a operational framework for scale around metal recovery and mineral processing.
MTM, which has a market capitalisation of $91.66 million, says this defines the sequence of unit operations, material flows, equipment selection, and process control strategies necessary to efficiently extract and refine target metals at the one-tonne-per-day of incoming feedstock scale.
CEO Michael Walshe says finalising the process design provides the company with a clear roadmap for the plant and ensures MTM can advance with procurement, permitting, and site selection on schedule.
“With our long-lead equipment procurement now in progress and strong engagement from industrial premises owners in Texas and Louisiana, we remain firmly on track to begin operations by the end of 2025,” Walshe says.
“The facility will generate critical operational data to optimise full-scale deployment and support future offtake agreements with industrial partners.
“This project is not just about demonstrating the commercial viability of our technology — it’s about reshoring critical metals production to the US and strengthening America’s supply chain for strategic materials like gallium, germanium, and rare earths.”
MTM is assessing site selection efforts, prioritising Texas and Louisiana, subject to infrastructure, services, policies, and permitting processes.
The company notes the design specifications will enable MTM to take advantage of ‘permit by rule’ regulations which provide a streamlined permitting process for industrial facilities that are built in certain parts of Texas. A final site selection decision is expected in Q2 2025.
The demonstration plant is a major part of the company’s commercialisation roadmap, validating the scalability of FJH technology for processing high-value metal-bearing feedstocks.
MTM Critical Metals is a dual-listed company focused on advanced metal recovery technologies. The company is primarily focused on niobium, rare earths, and gold in Australia and Canada.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: MTM Critical Metals
