Teck vends Utah’s Apex mine to Blue Moon in North American critical metals push

The transaction will see Teck American, a subsidiary of Teck, vend 100% of the Apex mine into Blue Moon and become a key stakeholder in the company, strengthening an existing working relationship that also includes major shareholder Hartree Partners.

Blue Moon said on Friday that the acquisition complemented its advancing Blue Moon zinc/copper/gold/silver project in California and its recently acquired Springer processing complex in Nevada, creating a western US “hub and spoke” platform anchored by Teck’s Trail Operations smelter in British Columbia.

"Underground development at the Blue Moon mine is advancing well, which together with the acquisition of the Apex mine and our redevelopment of the Springer metallurgical complex and Springer tungsten mine provides a unique hub and spoke platform for US critical metals growth," explained CEO Christian Kargl-Simard.

"Teck and Blue Moon are logical partners, combining Blue Moon's US project pipeline and processing capacity at Teck's Trail Operations. We are excited to leverage our combined infrastructure, industry leading technical knowhow, and financing depth to advance our US domestic copper, zinc, tungsten and now germanium and gallium projects to provide long-term feed for our Springer complex."

Teck executive VP and chief commercial officer Ian Anderson commented that the tie-up with Bloom Moon was a important step to develop new US sources of critical minerals.

"Following our cornerstone investments to rebuild zinc, lead, and silver capacity in Idaho's Silver Valley, revitalising the long-standing connection between US miners and our smelting and refining complex in Trail, this transaction with Blue Moon marks another important step to develop new US sources of critical minerals. As a supportive stakeholder, we look forward to working with Blue Moon as they advance their mines and processing complex in California, Utah, and Nevada, as well as to exploring other ways to strengthen North American supply chains together," said Anderson.

The Apex mine, located about 23 km from St. George, Utah, was previously the primary US producer of gallium and germanium during operations in the 1980s and 1990s. At peak production, the underground operation yielded 1 645 lb of gallium, 5 634 lb of germanium and 224 800 lb of copper in a single year.

A 1989 feasibility study reported reserves of 230 200 t grading 0.100% germanium, 0.046% gallium and 1.6% copper, while a later historical estimate outlined one-million tonnes at 0.087% germanium, 0.033% gallium, 1.8% copper and 41 g/t silver. Blue Moon cautioned that these historical estimates are not current mineral resources under NI 43-101 standards but views them as indicators of the project’s potential scale and grade.

Subject to renewed permits, the company intends to fast-track technical studies, metallurgical testing, flowsheet development and community engagement to support a final investment decision, while assessing the addition of a new processing line at Springer to treat Apex material and establish a fully integrated US germanium and gallium value chain.

In California, underground development at the Blue Moon mine is advancing, with more than 140 m of decline completed and underground diamond drilling under way to convert resources to reserves. Production is targeted for 2028, with plans to process material at the Springer complex to produce copper and zinc concentrates with gold and silver by-products.

The Springer complex, located near Winnemucca, Nevada, includes a refurbished 1 200 t/d tungsten mill on private land with established tailings and water infrastructure, offering brownfield advantages for multi-commodity processing. Blue Moon acquired the site in February 2026 to underpin development of its California operation and create a regional metallurgical hub with road and rail access, including logistical connections to Teck’s Trail Operations.

Blue Moon also plans to update the historical 10.7-million-tonne at 0.45% tungsten resource at the adjacent Springer mine through a 2026 drilling programme, and will evaluate additional metals including molybdenum, copper, silver and gold.