US Critical Materials, GreenMet form alliance for gallium production

US Critical Materials has formed a strategic advisory alliance with GreenMet, a Washington, DC-based firm specializing in critical minerals strategy and financing.

This partnership, US Critical Materials says, marks a “pivotal step” in advancing domestic rare earth production, with gallium—a mineral of growing national security importance—at the forefront.

Gallium, essential for advanced semiconductors, defense electronics and satellite communications, has been identified by the US government as a critical mineral with high supply chain vulnerability.

US Critical Materials holds the highest-grade reported gallium deposit in the country, with concentrations averaging 300 parts per million at its Sheep Creek deposit in Montana. It also reported rare earth samples from 125 feet underground that exceeded the grades of any other domestic rare earth resource.

Sheep Creek’s mineral profile is unmatched domestically, the Utah-based privately held company said, highlighting ore grades approaching 9% total rare earths and combined neodymium and praseodymium concentrations of 2.4%, as verified by the Idaho National Laboratory and by Activation Labs.

The initial 2.5-square-mile site—part of a broader 11-square-mile claim—hosts over 60 carbonatite formations, underscoring its vast potential for high-grade, strategically vital resources.

Since early 2024, Phase I Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) researchers have confirmed the high concentrations of gallium and rare earth elements in the Sheep Creek orebody.

US Critical Materials, led by former US Geological Survey rare earth commodities specialist Jim Hedrick, said it will prioritize gallium as one of the first minerals to be processed under its Phase II CRADA with Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Consistent with an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump in March 20, US Critical Materials and GreenMet have entered into preliminary discussions with a major Army installation base located in Alabama as a site for the processing of rare earth elements and critical minerals, the strategic storing of these materials, and an innovation center to provide critical mineral war capabilities now.

GreenMet will serve as strategic advisor to US Critical Materials, supporting efforts to secure federal funding through grants and concessional loans aimed at strengthening US critical mineral supply chains.

“Gallium is not just a mineral—it’s a strategic asset,” GreenMet CEO Drew Horn, former senior official at the White House National Security Council, said in a news release.

“US Critical Materials is uniquely positioned to deliver high-grade gallium and rare earths from a secure domestic source, directly supporting US national security and technological independence,” Horn added. “This alliance reinforces US Critical Materials’ commitment to building a resilient, domestic supply chain for critical minerals, with gallium as a cornerstone of its national security mission.”