The US Department of Energy (DOE) is providing US$73 million ($101 million) to fund four projects aimed at advancing domestic mining technologies and strengthening critical mineral supply chains.
The funding, provided through the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI), forms part of the DOE’s Mine of the Future initiative, which aims to establish domestic testing grounds where new mining technologies can be demonstrated under real-world conditions.
The four selected projects will focus on areas including mine automation, connectivity, electrification, drilling, sensing, comminution, and energy management:
- Innovative Wireless Technologies will establish a national testbed across sites in Colorado, West Virginia, and Virginia, combining underground and surface mining environments to test next-generation digital, connectivity, and automation technologies.
- The University of Arizona will establish an underground testbed in Sahuarita, Arizona, focused on mining, electrification, and energy-management technologies. The facility is intended to help technologies move from development towards commercial deployment while improving productivity and energy efficiency.
- The Curators of the University of Missouri will develop a multifunctional proving ground in Rolla, Missouri, combining underground technology testing with advanced comminution research. The facility will also support workforce development for next-generation mining technologies.
- Southern Methodist University will establish what the DOE describes as the world’s first synthetic mine at an existing drilling and sensing test facility in Navasota, Texas. The project will provide a controlled environment for testing mining equipment, automation systems, and workflows before field deployment.
The DOE says these projects are designed to accelerate the commercialisation of mining technologies, while improving US mining capabilities and reducing reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals.
“Investing in moving cutting-edge mining technologies out of the lab and into the field will help unleash America’s vast mineral resources,” US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright says.
“President Trump is committed to rebuilding America’s mining industry, reducing our dependence on foreign adversaries, and securing the critical minerals that are foundational to our energy, manufacturing, and national security.”
Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson says establishing real-world testing grounds will help accelerate technological breakthroughs across the domestic mining industry.
“These investments will prove that American innovation can redefine what’s possible in modern mining,” Robertson says.
Critical minerals funding spree
The funding follows a series of major investments that DOE announced recently to support the development of US critical mineral supply chains.
Last month, the department selected seven projects for US$500 million in funding to expand US critical mineral processing, battery manufacturing, and recycling capacity. It also announced US$162 million for nine projects targeting the recovery of materials including scandium, copper, antimony, and rare earth elements from industrial feedstocks.
Separately, DOE’s Critical Materials Innovation Hub awarded another US$10 million to seven early-stage research projects focused on technologies for rare earths, gallium, copper, and other critical materials.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Innovative Wireless Technologies
