Critical Resource Race: The Multi-Billion Dollar Move Toward Secure Supply Chains
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equity-Insider.com News Commentary — The U.S. just put over $30 billion on the table to shore up critical supply chains across 54 partner nations. This isn't just a policy goal anymore; it's a massive, active allocation of capital that is a signal of a permanent shift toward resource sovereignty[1]. By signing new agreements with Idaho and Tennessee to slash through red tape, the Federal Permitting Council is finally clearing the path for domestic projects to move forward[2]. Eagle Nuclear Energy Corp. (NASDAQ:NUCL), Sherritt International (TSX:S), Nouveau Monde Graphite (NYSE:NMG) (TSX:NOU), Centura Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX), and Doubleview Gold (TSXV:DBG) (OTCQB:DBLVF) represent distinct nodes in the domestic feedstock network institutions are actively building.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics recently highlighted that fixing the U.S. processing bottleneck is now a matter of national security[3]. Capital is already flowing to bridge this gap, evidenced by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation committing $600 million to the Orion Critical Mineral Consortium[4]. For investors, this suggests that shovel-ready assets with permitting momentum may represent undervalued opportunities. These projects carry significant growth potential as they become the primary value drivers for the 2026 cycle.
Eagle Nuclear Energy (NASDAQ:NUCL) announced the engagement of global mining advisory firm SLR International Corporation as lead permitting manager for the Aurora Uranium Project, the company's flagship asset sitting along the Oregon-Nevada border.
The move is a meaningful step forward for a company that went public on the NASDAQ in February 2026 and is racing to advance what it describes as the largest conventional, measured and indicated uranium deposit in the United States. Permitting is often the longest, most unpredictable part of bringing a mine to life. Getting the right firm in that seat early matters.
SLR brings specific credentials that are hard to manufacture. The firm's designated team has an established track record with the Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, two of the key regulatory bodies Eagle will need to work with. That same team has successfully navigated permitting for Paramount Gold's Grassy Mountain project and Jindalee Lithium's McDermitt project, both located in Malheur County, Oregon, the same county where Aurora sits. Familiarity with local regulators can be a genuine competitive advantage in a permitting environment where delays can run for years.
There is also a potential accelerant on the table. SLR was instrumental in getting Jindalee's McDermitt project fast-tracked under the U.S. federal government's FAST-41 initiative, a program designed to streamline environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects. Eagle's management is now working with SLR to potentially get Aurora onto that same list.
"SLR's permitting expertise, their excellent proven track-record around the world, and their relevant experience in our neighbourhood, makes them a natural partner for Eagle as we plan to take Aurora toward the next stage of development," said Vishal Gupta, VP of Operations of Eagle. "The SLR team has been involved in extensive engagement with regulators at the county, state and federal levels, which has direct relevance to expediting the permitting process for Aurora."
The target is a Pre-Feasibility Study targeted to be completed in late 2027. SLR will act as Aurora's program manager for all permitting-related work, including environmental baseline studies, geological and drill program support, metallurgical studies, and hydrogeological work.
Eagle Nuclear Energy is building toward an vertically integrated nuclear energy platform, pairing the Aurora deposit with exclusive Small Modular Reactor technology. Aurora currently holds 32.75 million pounds of indicated uranium and 4.98 million pounds of inferred uranium. The company's recent membership in the Uranium Producers of America and its launch on the NASDAQ under NUCL reflect a broader push to establish Eagle as a potential domestic uranium supply option at a time when U.S. reactors rely on foreign sources for more than 95% of their fuel.
In other industry developments and happenings in the market include:
Sherritt International (TSX:S) has reduced operations at its Moa, Cuba nickel-cobalt joint venture after planned fuel deliveries were not fulfilled and the timeline for resumption of deliveries remains unknown, with mining expected to pause and the processing plant placed on standby within days while planned maintenance activities are performed. The Corporation is actively engaging with relevant counterparts and evaluating all available options for sourcing input commodities, implementing measures to preserve and maximize liquidity by managing expenditures and exploring potential sources of temporary funding support to maintain financial flexibility through the disruption.
Sherritt's Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta refinery, recognized as the only significant cobalt refinery and one of just three nickel refineries in North America, is continuing to produce finished nickel and cobalt from existing feed inventory, though that supply is expected to be exhausted by approximately mid-April, with operations at its Energas power division in Cuba continuing as planned without impact. Sherritt expects to provide updated 2026 production guidance once it has greater certainty around supply chain conditions and the timeline for the resumption of full operations at its Moa mine and processing facility.
Nouveau Monde Graphite (NYSE:NMG) (TSX:NOU) has secured US$335 million in committed senior project debt from Export Development Canada and the Canada Infrastructure Bank to advance construction of the Phase-2 Matawinie Mine, projected to become the largest graphite mine in the G7. With detailed engineering approximately 80% complete, key permits in hand, and long-term offtake arrangements covering 75% of future production earmarked for the Government of Canada, Panasonic Energy, and Traxys, the project is development-ready and substantially de-risked ahead of final investment decision.
"A defining milestone for the Matawinie Mine, this commitment from EDC and CIB reflects the depth of Canadian public-finance expertise behind large, strategic infrastructure and critical minerals developments — and it validates the bankability of our project," said CEO Eric Desaulniers of Nouveau Monde Graphite. "Backed by long-term offtake arrangements and a disciplined financing structure, we are advancing with confidence toward final investment decision and construction."
Nouveau Monde Graphite has said it is actively negotiating with targeted strategic investors for the equity component of the financing structure, with major contracts already awarded representing over 50% of project CAPEX and within estimates of the company's updated feasibility study. The company expects to proceed to financial close and begin drawdowns under the term loan facility following satisfaction of customary conditions precedent, with construction preparation, engineering, and procurement advancing in parallel.
Century Aluminum (NASDAQ:CENX) has signed an agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium and U.S. Aluminum Company to explore development of a downstream aluminum fabrication facility adjacent to the planned Oklahoma Primary Aluminum smelter in Inola — a project it expects to double U.S. primary aluminum production and establish Oklahoma as a national center of aluminum manufacturing. Construction on the smelter is anticipated to begin by end of 2026, with first primary aluminum production targeted before the end of the decade, under a structure where EGA holds 60% and Century Aluminum holds 40%.
"By establishing an aluminum hub in Oklahoma, we are strengthening and shortening the supply chain for a critical metal that supports American industries," said CEO Jesse Gary of Century Aluminum. "Today's announcement highlights the multiplier effect of revitalizing domestic production—attracting new infrastructure investment and creating jobs in adjacent industries."
The Inola facility will deploy EGA's proprietary EX smelting technology, it describes as the most advanced ever installed in the United States, with the downstream fabrication plant targeting electrical, defense, aerospace, automotive, and machinery sectors. Century Aluminum, the largest primary aluminum producer in the U.S., brings integrated bauxite, alumina, and primary aluminum operations across Iceland, the Netherlands, and Jamaica to the partnership.
Doubleview Gold (TSXV:DBG) (OTCQB:DBLVF) has released a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment for its Hat Project in British Columbia, demonstrating a post-tax NPV(5%) of C$4,963 million and a 19% IRR under the base-case Scenario A1 using consensus metal prices of US$4.88/lb copper and US$3,272.60/oz gold, with initial capital estimated at C$3,552 million and a post-tax payback period of six years. It says the project will generate average annual EBITDA of C$886 million under base-case assumptions and scale to C$1,242 million under Scenario B, which adds a hydrometallurgical scandium recovery circuit alongside the core copper-gold concentrate stream, targeting a scandium oxide product priced at US$1,500/kg, positioning the Hat Project as a multi-commodity critical minerals asset with strategic upside beyond its base-case economics.
Doubleview Gold says it is advancing toward Pre-Feasibility Study through a prioritized program of infill and step-out drilling to convert Inferred Resources to Indicated, comprehensive metallurgical testwork to optimize recoveries across the full flotation circuit, and a phased geotechnical program to refine pit slope design and improve mine scheduling confidence. At spot metal prices of US$6.00/lb copper and US$5,200/oz gold as of late February 2026, post-tax NPV(5%) rises to C$11,047 million with a 34% IRR and a three-year post-tax payback, underscoring the project's substantial leverage to the current commodity price environment.
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Certain statements included in this document are not historical facts but are forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this document are forward-looking statements. Any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are also forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, expected benefits from Eagle's business combination with SVII; the outlook for Eagle's business; the viability of Eagle's mining claims and technologies; as well as any information concerning possible or assumed future results of operations of Eagle. The forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the management team of Eagle and are inherently subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstance and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, (i) market risks; (ii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Eagle related to its business combination; (iii) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the business combination; (iv) the inability to maintain the listing of the Company's securities on Nasdaq Capital Market or a comparable exchange; (v) the risk that the price of the Eagle's securities may be volatile due to a variety of factors, including changes in laws, regulations, technologies, natural disasters or health epidemics/pandemics, national security tensions, and macro- economic and social environments affecting its business; and (vi) fluctuations in spot and forward markets for lithium and uranium and certain other commodities (such as natural gas, fuel oil and electricity). The foregoing list is not exhaustive, and there may be additional risks that Eagle does not presently know or that Eagle currently believes are immaterial. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors, any other factors discussed in this document and the other risks and uncertainties described in filings made with the SEC by Eagle from time to time, which are or will be accessible at www.sec.gov. Eagle cautions you against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect current beliefs and are based on information currently available as of the date a forward-looking statement is made. Forward-looking statements set forth in this document speak only as of the date of this document.
SOURCES:
- https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/02/2026-critical-minerals-ministerial
- https://www.permitting.gov/newsroom/press-releases/permitting-council-announces-latest-federal-state-agreements-streamline
- https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2026/us-posing-hidden-risk-wests-critical-minerals-strategy
- https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/dfc-highlights-landmark-critical-minerals-investments-strengthen-us-national
