VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USANewsGroup.com Sector Commentary — The structural realignment in critical minerals supply chains is no longer a forecast; it is an allocation event. A February 2026 analysis from the Critical Minerals Institute^[1] framed the shift plainly: the IEA projects a 30% copper supply shortfall by 2035, rare earth supplies outside China cover less than 40% of projected demand, and Western governments are now deploying price floors and structured offtake frameworks to keep non-China production investable. Days earlier, the White House announced Project Vault, a $12 billion strategic minerals stockpile pairing US Export-Import Bank financing with private capital; institutions are positioning for a domestic supply chain buildout that carries asymmetric upside for early-stage North American asset holders. EagleOne Metals Corporation (CSE:EAGL), Aclara Resources (TSX:ARA) (OTCID: ARAAF), enCore Energy (NASDAQ:EU) (TSXV:EU), Air Products (NYSE:APD), and Faraday Copper (TSX:FDY) (OTCQX:CPPKF) each represent a distinct layer of that buildout, from exploration to production to infrastructure.

Uranium sits at the centre of that thesis. Analysts now project spot uranium approaching $92 per pound^[2] as tightening primary supply converges with accelerating reactor demand, AI-driven power infrastructure, and a US DOE commitment of $2.7 billion to expand domestic enrichment capacity. The policy context hardened further when the 2026 Critical Minerals Ministerial^[3], convened by Secretary of State Rubio with representation from 54 countries, confirmed more than $30 billion in US government support for secure supply chains over the prior six months alone. This structural deficit across uranium, copper, and rare earths is the primary value driver for Western onshore capacity heading into the rest of the year.

EagleOne Metals Corporation (CSE:EAGL) (FSE: I2J) recently announced a binding Letter of Intent to acquire 100% of the Poison Springs Uranium/Rare Earths Project in Utah for US$50,000. The 206.6-acre property, located 35 miles south of Hanksville, is built on a foundation of prior drill work that returned mineralized intercepts across multiple commodities, including uranium, copper, silver, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements neodymium, praseodymium, and europium. Both uranium and REEs appear on the U.S. Critical Minerals list.

The Poison Springs acquisition positions EagleOne at the intersection of two of the most policy-driven commodity themes in North America right now. Historical drilling in the broader region, including extensive programs by Cotter Corporation in nearby Hatch Canyon during 1978 and 1979, confirmed widespread mineralization across the area. The 2008 drill program on the property itself returned multiple mineralized intercepts, and proposed follow-up targets sit at less than 100 metres depth, keeping future drilling economics accessible. A Triassic Chinle formation target on the property carries potential for copper, vanadium, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and REEs. Chinle deposits in southeastern Utah have historically been among the highest-grade uranium producers in the region.

The Utah play is one piece of a broader portfolio. Earlier this year, EagleOne also reported results from its 2024 field program at the 100%-owned Hébécourt Township property in Quebec's Abitibi Greenstone Belt, where geochemical and geophysical work identified two priority anomalies targeting gold and copper adjacent to an intrusive diorite contact zone. The Abitibi belt has produced over 200 million ounces of gold historically and more than 15 billion pounds of copper. A drill program is pending.

Neighbouring the flagship Hébécourt property is the Magusi West Gold Project, where Phase I exploration across 618 soil samples returned gold anomalies up to 0.156 ppm, copper anomalies up to 186 ppm, and zinc anomalies up to 200 ppm. Geologists identified two clusters of anomalous values in the southern portion of the property, both associated with diorite contact zones along the Baie Fabie Fault. Follow-up IP data analysis and drill targeting are the recommended next steps.

EagleOne's four-property portfolio spans Canada, Peru, and the United States, covering gold, silver, copper, uranium, and rare earth elements. With drill targets defined on multiple properties, a US$50,000 Utah acquisition that brings critical minerals exposure, and a C$240,000 financing pending, the Company is building a critical minerals platform at a market capitalization of approximately C$5 million.

CONTINUED… Read this and more on EagleOne at: https://usanewsgroup.com/2026/03/12/exploring-the-minerals-powering-the-digital-and-energy-future/

In other industry developments and happenings in the market include:

Aclara Resources (TSX:ARA) (OTCID: ARAAF) has completed key technological development for its rare earth metals and alloys project through its 50/50 joint venture Aclara Metals SpA with CAP S.A., finalizing metallurgical processes designed to supply high-purity rare earth metals and alloys to permanent magnet manufacturers. A demonstration plant capable of producing 175 kilograms per day of NdPr alloy at greater than 99.5% purity is expected to begin operations in the second half of 2026, utilizing proprietary in-house electrolysis cell technology with no established industrial standard outside of China.

"For Aclara, this is a highly relevant step to continue delivering on the permanent magnets value chain strategy," said CEO Ramón Barúa of Aclara Resources. "Our goal is to have the mining, concentration, separation and alloying technologies under one roof, allowing us to be a cost efficient, reliable and sustainable solution for the supply of heavy and light rare earth products. We expect to have a project ready for construction at the end of this year, supported by proven technology, and with a secured feed from our Louisiana separation plant and our mines in Chile and Brazil."

An internal prefeasibility study is targeted for completion by end of March 2026, with a full feasibility study to follow by year-end. Aclara Resources is advancing vertical integration across mining, separation, and alloying, positioning itself as a Western-controlled rare earth supply chain solution for the permanent magnet sector.

encore Energy (NASDAQ:EU) (TSXV:EU) reported strong year-end operational results for 2025, extracting 699,807 pounds of uranium, a 242% increase over the prior year, while delivering approximately 655,000 pounds into contracts at $65.89 per pound against a weighted average cost of $51.09. The company closed the year with $52 million in cash and total liquidity of $96 million, further bolstered by $18.1 million in proceeds from warrant exercises completed in February 2026.

"Our year end results underscore the strength of enCore's operational performance," said CEO Rob Willette of enCore Energy. "Production from our South Texas operations continued to trend upward, with improvements in wellfield efficiency driving strong extraction results. With nearly 700,000 pounds extracted in 2025, and total liquidity of $96 million at year end, including marketable securities, our team continues to execute."

Construction at the Upper Spring Creek Satellite Facility is advancing pending final Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approvals, with enCore Energy having pre-contracted additional inventory to fully cover 2026 delivery obligations. At Dewey Burdock in South Dakota, the company expects construction to commence within 18 months following completion of remaining regulatory milestones.

Air Products (NYSE:APD) has secured more than $140 million in NASA contracts to supply liquid hydrogen to Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and additional NASA facilities across Alabama and Mississippi, reinforcing its position as the world's leading hydrogen supplier to the U.S. space program. The agreement covers approximately 36.5 million pounds of liquid hydrogen, building on Air Products' working relationship with NASA that dates to 1957 and has spanned Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and the upcoming Artemis II mission.

"From the inception of the United States space program, Air Products has supported NASA's mission by supplying the critical industrial gases needed," said Francesco Maione, President, Americas of Air Products. "For decades, Air Products has consistently demonstrated our ability to supply world-scale levels of liquid hydrogen and other industrial gases safely and reliably through our robust supply chain."

In 2025, Air Products completed the first fill of the world's largest hydrogen sphere at Kennedy Space Center, delivering over 730,000 gallons across more than 50 trailer loads. With fiscal 2025 sales of $12 billion across approximately 50 countries, Air Products is simultaneously expanding its clean hydrogen infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon energy transition in industrial and heavy-duty transportation sectors.

Faraday Copper (TSX:FDY) (OTCQX:CPPKF) closed a landmark C$100 million private placement on March 11, 2026 with participation from a Lundin Family Trust and BHP Group Limited, issuing 23,810,000 shares at C$4.20 per share, sharply above its July 2025 financing price of C$1.10. The company ended 2025 with C$37.9 million in cash, up from C$17.0 million at year-end 2024, and reported total assets of C$61.5 million as it advances its flagship Copper Creek Project in Arizona.

With a signed letter of intent to acquire BHP's San Manuel property in Arizona, Faraday Copper is building toward a multi-asset copper district with definitive agreements targeted by end of Q3 2026. The ongoing Phase IV drill program at Copper Creek is planned for 40,000 metres of diamond drilling, targeting near-surface mineralization in the American Eagle area, oxide copper for potential cathode production, and new discoveries across the broader district.

SOURCE: https://usanewsgroup.com/2026/03/12/exploring-the-minerals-powering-the-digital-and-energy-future/

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SOURCES:

Capital Is Repricing North American Critical Minerals: What Comes Next