11.02.23

Hoeven Helps Secure Nearly $115 Million for Talon Metals to Establish Battery Minerals Facility in Mercer County

Western North Dakota Facility Will Help Reduce Reliance on Foreign Critical Minerals, Support State’s Coal Industry

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that he has helped secure nearly $115 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for Talon Metals to establish a battery materials processing facility in Mercer County, North Dakota. The award will enable Talon to begin the design, permitting and construction of the facility, which will source and process ore from the company’s Tamarack mine in central Minnesota, as well as other potential sources in North America. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Hoeven worked to secure the funding for the Talon project to:

  • Support the creation of good-paying jobs in western North Dakota.
  • Benefit the state’s coal industry through potential future utilization of coal ash from coal-fired power stations in Mercer County for a world-leading tailings management solution.
    • The project is exploring the use of coal ash to combine with its tailings to create a value-added cement replacement product that would reduce the amount of waste that needs to be stored at the site.
  • Reduce the nation’s reliance on critical minerals from foreign nations, including adversaries such as China and Russia.
    • The project will establish a U.S. domestic supply chain for batteries, from mining up through cathode manufacturing and recycling.

Specifically, Hoeven urged the Energy Secretary to support the project and worked with Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk to finalize the competitive award, which had faced delays during the negotiation process that risked disrupting or halting the project.

“This project plays an important role in supporting U.S. economic security, as it will not only provide good-paying jobs in Mercer County, but it will reduce our reliance on hostile nations like China and Russia, while benefitting coal producers in North Dakota and mining operations in Minnesota,” said Hoeven. “It only makes sense to produce and process these battery minerals here at home, which are critically important as we continue developing improvements for the capabilities of unmanned aircraft and other autonomous technologies. That’s why we worked with DOE to secure this funding, advance Talon’s application and ensure the award negotiation process was brought to completion.”

-###-