MINNEAPOLIS, MN (AP)— The Department of Defense has awarded $20.6 million to developers of the proposed Talon nickel mine in Minnesota to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals.
The funds will support prospecting work in Minnesota and Michigan.
Talon says it will use the money to accelerate its efforts to find more high-grade nickel deposits, primarily in the Upper Peninsula.
The nation’s only operating nickel mine, Marquette County’s Eagle Mine, is slated to close around 2026 unless it secures more ore. Last month, Talon announced that it is acquiring the mineral rights formerly owned by Ford Motor Company to approximately 400,000 acres near the Eagle Mine and its processing facility.
The federal support stands in contrast to the Biden administration's efforts to block two other copper-nickel mining projects in Minnesota.
