Funding for first Australian gallium project
Nimy Resources, an Australian mineral exploration company, and Curtin University have received A$550,000 funding (around US$400k) from the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) for a two year project to investigate innovative pathways to concentrate, extract and refine gallium ores locally.
Industries using gallium – a key component in compound semiconductors – depend on a small number of producers, dominated by Chinese companies. There is no established extraction or refining capability in Australia.
"Demand for gallium metal is rising rapidly, so developing local processing capability is critical to ensuring supply chain resilience and supporting the clean energy transition. Sustainable gallium processing in Western Australia would not only strengthen Australia’s sovereign supply of critical minerals, but also deliver vital skills, research opportunities and shared knowledge with the next generation of scientists and engineers,” said Curtin executive director for commercialisation Rohan McDougall.
Nimy managing director Luke Hampson said: "The MRIWA funding was a major step in unlocking the mineral resources at Nimy’s Mons Project in Western Australia. By working with Curtin University, we aim to establish Australia’s first gallium processing capability to support global technology supply chains, reduce reliance on non-western aligned producers and position Western Australia as a global leader in critical minerals innovation.”
The Mons Greenstone Belt (pictured above) is located 370km north-east of Perth and 140km north-northwest of Southern Cross in Western Australia. Since active exploration began in 2022, Nimy has uncovered widespread evidence of cobalt, copper, gallium, gold, lithium, nickel, rare earth elements and silver.
