News: Suppliers
4 March 2026
Blue Moon to acquire Apex germanium and gallium mine from Teck
Teck American Inc of Spokane, WA, USA (a subsidiary of Canada-based Teck Resources Ltd) has agreed to sell the past-producing Apex germanium (Ge), gallium (Ga) and copper (Cu) mine in Utah to Blue Moon Metals Inc of Toronto, ON, Canada, which says it will become a key stakeholder to support an integrated pipeline of US critical mineral projects to secure North American supply. The transaction adds to a working relationship with key shareholder Hartree Partners LP, which is described as a key partner with the US government on its recently announced US$12bn critical metals stockpile.
Completion of the transaction is expected in March, conditional on TSXV approval, negotiated definitive agreements acceptable to both parties, and other items customary to an asset sale transaction.
Immediate synergies are expected to include:
- the ability to process zinc concentrates from Blue Moon’s Blue Moon Mine in California (where underground development commenced last year) at Teck’s Trail Operations, providing the final piece to solidify a fully integrated North American sourced value chain;
- a path to redevelop the Apex mine in Utah to potentially unlock an onshore source of Ge and Ga;
- possible restart of the permitted Springer tungsten mine in Nevada, with the potential to supply a sizable portion of US domestic requirements; and
- redevelopment of the larger Springer complex to build critical mineral processing capacity to support the Blue Moon Mine and other mines in the Western USA, with logistical connections to Trail as required.
“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,” says Blue Moon’s 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 know-how, 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,” he adds.
“Following our cornerstone investments to rebuild zinc, lead, and silver capacity in Idaho’s Silver Valley, revitalizing 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,” says Teck’s executive VP & chief commercial officer Ian Anderson. “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.”
Apex Mine, Utah (germanium, gallium, copper)
Apex is a historic underground mine in southwest Utah, which was previously mined for copper oxide, and later for Ge and Ga. This mine became the primary producer of gallium and germanium in the USA when Musto Explorations Ltd brought it into production in the mid-1980s and again with Hecla Mining Co in the 1990s. During its peak year of operations, Apex produced 10,270 tons yielding 164lb of Ga, 5634lbs of Ge, and 224,800lbs of Cu.
Hecla completed a feasibility study in 1989, reporting a reserve of 230,200 tons of 0.100% Ge, 0.046% Ga and 1.6% Cu. A historical reserve estimate by Ken Krahulec in 2018 estimated 1MT @ 0.087% Ge, 0.033% Ga, 1.8% Cu and 41g/t Ag. The Ge and Ga are 10-100x higher grade than most Ge and Ga deposits, with in-situ value per ton similar to 0.5oz/T gold ores. Beyond the historical reserves, Hecla also identified several additional breccia bodies as prospective exploration targets, including the Paymaster, Cavern, and 500 North pipes, along with further oxide zones in the immediate mine area.
Subject to renewed permits and with the intent to reopen the mine, Blue Moon plans to fast track efforts to advance the technical studies, metallurgical testing, process flowsheets, permitting and community engagement to support a final investment decision. In parallel, the firm is evaluating options for a new processing line at its Springer complex to process the Apex material and provide an integrated USA Ge and Ga value chain.
Springer Complex, Nevada (multi-commodity processing hub)
The Springer property is on the east flank of the Eugene Mountains, about 25 miles southwest of the city of Winnemucca, and 125 miles northeast of the city of Reno, in Pershing County, Nevada.
Springer is a former tungsten production facility consisting of a 1360ft vertical shaft and underground workings, a 1200 ton per day mill with automated rod/ball mill grinding and flotation circuits, plus all water rights, and most permits necessary for operation of the facility.
Blue Moon purchased the Springer site in February to provide processing capacity to support the development of the Blue Moon Mine and to establish a regional processing hub. Sitting on a large land package, Blue Moon believes there is significant room to expand the mill layout and add additional buildings to process multiple ore types and improve economies of scale to unlock and maximize the value of resources that would otherwise not support stand-alone processing facilities. Located only a few miles from both Interstate 80 and the Union Pacific rail line, the Springer complex is well connected to the transportation and logistics infrastructure to integrate with other operations, including Teck’s Trail Operations.
Blue Moon is presently advancing analysis and engineering to process the Blue Moon Mine material, including updating permitting requirements and changes required to the mill and tailings management system.
