OD6 Metals (ASX:OD6) has completed registration with the US Government’s System for Award Management, positioning the company to pursue federal funding opportunities for its Quinn Fluorspar Project in Nevada, US.
The registration establishes the federal framework required to pursue applicable US Government contracting and financial assistance opportunities as OD6 advances Quinn through technical and metallurgical studies.
Fluorspar appears on the US’s final 2025 Critical Minerals List, reflecting its importance to economic, supply‑chain, and national security objectives.
The US remains 100% net import reliant on fluorspar, with no significant domestic mine production reported since 1995, according to the US Geological Survey.
The US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) currently identifies fluorspar as a ‘priority material’ under an open Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) focused on strengthening domestic strategic and critical mineral supply chains.
The DLA program specifically identifies refining, processing, and beneficiation among its areas of interest.
OD6 Managing Director Brett Hazelden says the registration allows the company to engage with US Government agencies and explore applicable funding opportunities as Quinn progresses.
“What makes this particularly relevant for OD6 is that fluorspar is not only recognised as a critical mineral by the United States, but is also specifically identified as a priority material by the Defense Logistics Agency under a currently open program focused on rebuilding domestic strategic-material supply chains,” Hazelden adds.
“The DLA’s focus on refining, processing, and beneficiation is also closely aligned with the work we are undertaking at Quinn through our ore sorting and comprehensive metallurgical test work programs.”
The DLA describes metallurgical‑grade fluorspar as typically containing 60–85% calcium fluoride (CaF2) and being used principally in steel and cement production. Meanwhile, acid‑grade fluorspar contains more than 97% CaF2 and is used in manufacturing hydrogen fluoride, hydrofluoric acid, and aluminium fluoride.
OD6 has consolidated 100% ownership of 226 mining claims covering approximately 1,890 hectares at Quinn. The claims contain more than 20 fluorspar occurrences across an 8km mineralised corridor.
The company is advancing geological mapping, exploration permitting, environmental baseline studies, and metallurgical test work programs.
Recent metallurgical sampling incorporates representative ‘high‑grade’, ‘medium‑grade’, and ‘low‑grade’ material.
The ore sorting work and broader metallurgical program aim to establish the ability to beneficiate Quinn mineralisation and determine processing pathways towards saleable fluorspar products.
The current DLA BAA remains open until 30 January 2029. No funding application has been approved, and there is no assurance that OD6 or Quinn will receive funding under any US Government program.
OD6 Metals is an Australian critical minerals developer advancing a portfolio of rare earths, copper-zinc, and fluorspar projects across Australia and the US.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: OD6 Metals
