Nova Minerals Corp (NYSE American: NVA | ASX: NVA) has reported that all key plant equipment for its planned antimony processing and refinery operation arrived at Port MacKenzie, Alaska, on October 6, 2026.

The announcement, made from Anchorage, confirms that the delivery of the final major pieces of equipment enables construction of the processing and refinery facility to begin in the coming weeks, subject to receipt of the remaining permits.

Key Equipment Arrives at Port MacKenzie

The company describes the milestone as a significant step in its plan to establish a secure, vertically integrated U.S. domestic antimony supply chain in Alaska, supported by a USD 43.4 million award from the U.S. Department of War (DoW).

The latest shipment included two ball mills, a jaw crusher, an apron feeder, hydraulic filter presses, and other ancillary equipment required for the antimony recovery process.

It comprised another 10 truckloads of equipment and follows a 500-ton shipment of processing and refining equipment that arrived at Port MacKenzie on September 6, delivered in more than 40 containers by barge.

Nova sourced modern processing and milling equipment from a recently decommissioned site in North America, a decision the company says was made to accelerate construction and deliver meaningful cost savings, with first antimony expected in 2027.

Construction to Commence Following Permits

Early earthworks are already underway at Port MacKenzie, with construction of the antimony processing and refinery facility set to commence once final permits are received. The facility is designed to process stibnite-bearing material and, initially, produce antimony metal and military-grade trisulfide as part of the U.S. DoW project.

The plant has been designed with a modular configuration, which Nova says provides flexibility to scale operations over time and respond to evolving market requirements, including the building of an integrated domestic antimony supply chain within the United States.

Nova CEO Christopher Gerteisen said the equipment delivery brings the company a step closer to establishing a secure, vertically integrated antimony supply chain for the United States domestic market.

He noted that the U.S. Department of War has designated antimony as a strategic priority for national and economic security due to its necessity in defense, energy storage, and advanced electronic applications.

Gerteisen added that while the 2026 field season has concluded, activity at both Estelle and Port MacKenzie is continuing at pace, with favorable fall conditions providing an ideal window for earthworks and construction that will continue through the winter months.

2026 Field Season Concludes at Estelle

The equipment arrival coincides with the conclusion of the 2026 field season at the Estelle Critical Minerals and Gold Project. Nova completed approximately 8,000 metres of diamond drilling, with three diamond core rigs operating around the clock, seven days a week, between June and September to leverage the longer daylight hours of the Alaskan summer.

The drilling program focused on infill and resource expansion at the RPM gold deposit to advance the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS). Several drill pads were established at RPM for infill and expansion drilling. Meanwhile, the Stibium and Styx antimony prospects are progressing towards potential resource delineation and production.

Samples and drill cores from the 2026 field program have been prepared and shipped for analysis, and the company expects to report initial assay results in due course.

Estelle Infrastructure Works Advance

Construction continues across several key infrastructure projects at the Estelle site. The Korbel-Stibium access road is progressing at pace and is set to provide year-round overland access to the northern prospects, including the Stibium antimony-gold prospect and the Korbel gold deposit. The road is expected to deliver significant cost savings by reducing reliance on helicopter support.

Work also continues on the Whiskey Bravo airstrip expansion and apron, which aims to upgrade the airstrip specification to suit C-130 Hercules-sized aircraft. The expansion will allow increased freight size and payload capacity, from the current 7,000 lbs capacity of DC-3 aircraft to 42,000 lbs with the C-130, along with significant freight cost savings.

The proposed RPM road alignment has been established, with initial environmental baseline studies now completed in preparation for a permitting application.

At the Estelle camp, steel fabrication and site preparation are ongoing at the Whiskey Bravo crushing and ore sorting facility. The facility is intended to play a key role in producing a coarse intermediate concentrate for transport to the Port MacKenzie downstream processing and refining plant, where antimony metal and military-grade trisulfide will be produced under the USD 43.4 million DoW award.

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