Nova Minerals Ramps Up 2026 Field Season with Three Rigs Turning, Permitting Advances, and Antimony Production Milestones
Summary
Nova Minerals provided a comprehensive update on its 2026 field season, highlighting three active drill rigs, bulk sampling, permitting progress, and successful lab-scale production of military-grade antimony trisulfide — all advancing the Estelle project toward near-term production.
Key Events · Product Development and Regulatory · NVA
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Three Drill Rigs Operating 24/7
Three diamond drill rigs are conducting drilling around the clock at the Estelle project, targeting gold and antimony across multiple prospects including RPM, Stibium, and Train.
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Bulk Sampling and Processing Underway
Over 50 tons of stibnite-rich material from the Styx prospect has been transported to camp for processing through the Whiskey Bravo ore sorter, providing initial feed for the Port MacKenzie antimony pilot plant.
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Military-Grade Antimony Produced at Lab Scale
Military-grade antimony trisulfide and antimony metal were successfully produced using a proprietary hydrometallurgical method, with samples submitted for independent analysis — a key milestone toward domestic critical mineral supply.
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Permitting and Infrastructure Advancing
A detailed plan of operations for the antimony project has been submitted to Alaska regulators, and construction of the Stibium trail, runway extension, and gravel quarrying are ongoing, supporting the path to production.
Analysis · NVA · Energy & Transportation
Nova Minerals is executing a fully-funded, multi-front push at its Estelle project in Alaska. Three drill rigs are running around the clock, bulk sampling is underway at Styx, and the company has successfully produced military-grade antimony trisulfide at lab scale — a critical step toward domestic antimony supply. With over 40 containers of process equipment in transit and permitting progressing, the company is transitioning from exploration to near-term production, backed by a US$43.4 million Department of War award. This operational update materially de-risks the timeline to first antimony production targeted for 2027.
At the time of this filing, NVA was trading at $6.82 on NASDAQ in the Energy & Transportation sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $249.8M. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.