CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp. ( CleanTech CTV TSXV: CTV.V; OTCQB: CTVFF) is a critical minerals mining company focused on developing critical minerals for the domestic US market. Having a secure domestic supply of critical minerals is vital for the country’s national security, economic stability, ongoing technological innovation, and achieving its environmental goals.
US Critical Minerals Development – a Priority for Government
In the current geopolitical climate, having a new domestic supply of minerals and metals in markets where production is dominated by countries such as China reduces the risk that supply chains could be disrupted or manipulated through export restrictions.
As the US currently relies heavily on imports for many of these materials, it is vulnerable to such disruptions. Developing domestic sources also supports the US manufacturing industries by stabilising prices and supply chains, and fostering economic growth.
The US is actively pursuing a range of strategies to enhance domestic critical mineral production and aims to restore American dominance in critical mineral production. One of these initiatives was an executive order, signed in March of this year, designed to immediately increase American mineral production.
The order directed government agencies to reduce costs and lead times for developing domestic mining projects by streamlining permitting and regulation. In addition, it set up federal loans, equity, and grant financing to expand domestic critical mineral production and co-fund exploration.
In August 2025, the Department of the Interior (DOI), via the U.S. Geological Survey, proposed a list of 54 critical minerals, including fluorspar and vanadium, to guide federal investments, tax incentives, and permitting priorities. In the same month, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced nearly US$1 billion in funding opportunities to advance these efforts.
These and other developments mean that there has never been a more favourable time to develop US-based critical mineral projects. CleanTech Vanadium has two advanced critical metal projects, the Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project and the Gibellini Vanadium Project, located in Nevada.
Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project
The Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project is an advanced exploration project containing numerous known deposits and 10 historic resource estimates (Figure 1). The area has seen over 150 years of fluorspar exploration and mining, with over 12.5 million tons of refined fluorspar and 20 million tons of crude fluorspar produced (Figure 2).
Figure 1: The Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project Map
Source: CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.
Figure 2: Green Fluorite Crystals Specimen from Gaskin Mine, Illinois.
The Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project Map.
Source: CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp
The 8,150-acre Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project has been assembled by CleanTech Vanadium through a series of acquisitions completed in the second half of this year. CleanTech Vanadium is currently assessing all the historic information, which includes over 730 historic drill holes, ahead of commencing its maiden exploration programme.
US Reliant on Imported Fluorspar
Fluorspar is primarily used to produce hydrofluoric acid, which is essential for manufacturing products like steel, aluminium, refrigerants, insulating foams, gasoline, and lithium-ion batteries.
Fluorspar is also crucial for defence applications, especially the production of uranium fuel through the uranium enrichment process for nuclear energy, thus making it a strategic mineral critical for national security.
China, which accounted for 62% of global Fluorspar production, 5.8 Mt, in 2024, while the US imported all the fluorspar it consumed. Fluorspar prices have increased dramatically from $300 per ton in 2020 to over $470 per ton in 2025.
Fluorspar is designated a critical mineral by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) due to its role in national security and economic stability, with an estimated US$14 million Gross Domestic Product (GDP) impact if supply is disrupted.
Gibellini Vanadium Project
The Gibellini Vanadium Project is a development-ready project that received a positive environmental impact statement Record of Decision from the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) in October 2023 and has multiple state permits already in place. CleanTech Vanadium acquired the project in August 2024 and is planning to build an open-pit, heap-leach operation.
The project has a measured and indicated mineral resource estimate of 127 million pounds of vanadium pentoxide, with 195 million pounds in the inferred category. The resource base comes from three deposits located along a 21km long vanadium belt, with the potential for additional discoveries (Figure 2).
Figure 3: The Gibellini Vanadium Project
Source: CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.
US Reliant on Imported Vanadium
Vanadium is used in both traditional industries and emerging clean energy technologies. It is essential for high-strength steel alloys used in defence applications, such as pipelines, tools, and infrastructure.
Additionally, vanadium-aluminium alloys are critical for aerospace applications, including titanium alloys for jet engines and airframes, where no acceptable substitutes exist. Vanadium is also an essential component of vanadium redox flow batteries, used for grid-scale, long-duration energy storage to support renewable energy integration and decarbonisation goals.
Global vanadium production is highly concentrated, with China (70%) and Russia (21%) accounting for 91% of global supply. The US currently relies heavily on imported vanadium, with 40% of its 2024 consumption met by imports.
Vanadium is classified as a critical mineral by the USGS due to its essential role in national security, with an estimated US$92 million GDP impact if supply is disrupted.
Final thoughts
CleanTech Vanadium is building a portfolio of critical metals to address the US’s drive to increase its domestic supply of critical minerals. Its focus on advanced exploration and development-ready assets means that in the near-term, it can move these projects towards production, reducing the US’s import reliance, and contributing to economic and strategic resilience.
CleanTech Vanadium’s Kentucky-Illinois Fluorspar Project is located in a historically productive region and leverages significant historic exploration, including over 730 historic drill holes and contains defined high-grade fluorspar deposits. While the company’s development-ready Gibellini Vanadium Project could supply over 50% of US vanadium demand.
By securing advanced fluorspar and vanadium projects in the US, CleanTech Vanadium is well positioned as a leader in the US critical minerals sector.
For more information on CleanTech Vanadium’s fluorspar initiatives, visit their website or contact John Lee at jlee@cleantechcv.com.
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