Aspiring Materials lands NZ$15m grant for Southland critical minerals plant

What's the deal? New Zealand cleantech company Aspiring Materials has secured a NZ$15 million grant from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to help build a NZ$31 million commercial-scale critical minerals plant in Southland.

What's next? The Christchurch-based company extracts critical minerals from olivine rock and quarry waste. The plant is expected to create about 200 full-time jobs.

Why now? The grant reflects New Zealand's focus on building domestic critical-minerals supply chains and supporting regional development.

Read more: NBR

Image credit: Aspiring Materials