WA's Hillgrove to supply 5,000t antimony/yr, 5–7% global supply

Procurement teams tracking antimony and titanium now have two Western Australian projects to monitor. Larvotto's Hillgrove operation claims it can deliver 5–7% of global antimony mine supply from one site, directly affecting sourcing options for defense, semiconductor and clean-energy manufacturers reliant on a mineral central to military equipment and high-performance components. Empire Metals' claimed world-class titanium resource at Pitfield signals longer-term optionality for aerospace and industrial buyers seeking diversified sources.

Western Australia's critical minerals push is accelerating as two companies make notable claims in August 2026. Larvotto Resources, a WA-based operator, said this week it will begin antimony production at its Hillgrove project near Armidale in New South Wales before the end of the month. The move comes less than three years after Larvotto acquired the asset in December 2023, a rapid development timeline that Managing Director Ron Heeks described as a 'remarkable journey'. Separately, Empire Metals has announced what it describes as the world's largest titanium deposit at its Pitfield project near Three Springs, Western Australia. Both antimony and titanium are on the federal government's critical minerals list, and antimony has been flagged under the Commonwealth's $1.2 billion strategic reserve as crucial to clean-energy technology, high-technology manufacturing and advanced military equipment.

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Larvotto Resources, a WA-based operator, said this week it will begin antimony production at its Hillgrove project near Armidale in New South Wales before the end of the month.

Larvotto's Hillgrove operation is already the largest antimony mineral resource in Australia. The company expects to produce almost 5,000 tonnes of antimony each year over an initial eight-year mine life once full production is reached. That output would represent between 5 and 7 per cent of global mine supply of antimony, a material contribution from a single Australian project. Heeks indicated that commencing production was the company's first major target, but he has broader ambitions, including expanding the operation into a multi-decade mining centre through ongoing exploration across the wider Hillgrove project and potentially adding tungsten to its critical mineral production profile. The speed from acquisition to production is notable for a sector in which project timelines often stretch well beyond a decade, and it signals Larvotto's ability to leverage existing processing infrastructure at the Hillgrove gold and antimony mine.

For supply chain and procurement professionals, the Larvotto development matters because antimony is a mineral with concentrated global production and escalating demand from defense, semiconductor, and clean-energy supply chains. Australia's $1.2 billion strategic reserve underscores official concern about security of supply. A new source capable of delivering 5 to 7 per cent of global mine supply changes sourcing calculations, particularly for manufacturers in the United States, Europe, India and Japan, which the Australian government identifies as strategic international partners with demand for titanium and other critical minerals. Even if Hillgrove's initial output is modest compared with total global demand, the ability to offer a stable, policy-backed supply from an Australian jurisdiction is a meaningful risk mitigation for procurement teams seeking alternatives to concentrated supply chains.

The Empire Metals claim at Pitfield, if independently validated and converted into an economically viable operation, could be even more transformative: the company says the project hosts the world's largest titanium deposit. Titanium is already in demand from strategic international partners including the United States, Europe, India and Japan, and it is essential for aerospace, defense, industrial and high-performance materials. However, the claim is, at this stage, a company announcement rather than an independently verified resource estimate in these reports. The path from a claimed deposit to producing mine is long and capital-intensive, requiring further drilling, feasibility studies, metallurgical test work, permitting and infrastructure. Still, the mere assertion signals that Western Australia may become a more prominent player in titanium supply, with potential implications for global buyers seeking diversified sourcing.