Nova Minerals gets equipment; antimony expected in 2027
The 2026 Estelle field season is complete, and plant construction is planned to start after the remaining permits are received.
Sentiment and the balance of points
Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Nova Minerals Corp reports that all key equipment for its planned antimony processing and refinery operation arrived at Port MacKenzie on October 6, 2026. Early earthworks are underway, and construction is expected to commence in the coming weeks following receipt of the remaining permits. The company says first antimony is expected in 2027, with the project supported by a $43.4 million U.S. Department of War award.
Nova completed approximately 8,000 meters of drilling at the Estelle project during its June-to-September 2026 field season, including work at gold and antimony prospects. Samples have been shipped for analysis, and assay results are expected in due course. Construction also continues on the Korbel-Stibium access road and Whiskey Bravo airstrip expansion.
Filing Explained
The new details concern planned freight capacity and ore prepared for later processing, not completed plant output.
Nova reports that construction of the Whiskey Bravo airstrip expansion continues, with the stated aim of increasing freight capacity for C-130-sized aircraft.
At Styx, Nova says it extracted 100 tons of antimony ore as initial feed for the Port MacKenzie plant once construction is complete; this is feed preparation, not reported antimony processing or production.
8-K Event Classification
Key Figures
Key Terms
stibnite-bearing material technical
Pre-Feasibility Study technical
coarse intermediate concentrate technical
resource delineation technical
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
How much drilling did Nova Minerals (NVA) complete at Estelle in 2026?
What payload capacity is the Nova Minerals (NVA) airstrip expansion targeting?
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date
of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State
or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS
Employer Identification No.) |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s
Telephone Number, including Area Code:
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report): Not Applicable
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol | Name of exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter)
Emerging
growth company
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On October 8, 2026, Nova Minerals Corp issued a press release titled “Nova Minerals Progresses to Antimony Processing Plant Construction as 2026 Estelle Field Season Concludes”, which is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto.
The information in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1 attached hereto, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. The information in this Item 7.01 shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as otherwise expressly stated in such filing.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| (d) | Exhibits |
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press release, dated October 8, 2026 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the iXBRL document) | |
| 2 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Nova Minerals Corp | ||
| Date: October 8, 2026 | /s/ Ian Pamensky | |
| Name: | Ian Pamensky | |
| Title: | Secretary | |
| 3 |
Exhibit 99.1
Nova Minerals Progresses to Antimony Processing Plant Construction as 2026 Estelle Field Season Concludes
Anchorage, Alaska, October 8, 2026 - Nova Minerals Corp (“Nova Minerals” or the “Company”) (NYSE American: NVA | ASX: NVA) is pleased to report all key plant equipment for its planned antimony processing and refinery operation arrived at Port MacKenzie, Alaska, on October 6, 2026.
The arrival of the final major pieces of equipment enables construction of the processing and refinery facility to begin in the coming weeks, subject to receipt of the remaining permits.
This represents another significant milestone in the Company’s plan to establish a secure, vertically integrated U.S. domestic antimony supply chain in Alaska, supported by a $43.4 million award from the U.S. Department of War (DoW).
The key equipment shipment arrives as the 2026 field season at the Estelle Critical Minerals and Gold Project draws to a close, with initial assay results expected in due course.
In parallel, construction continues to advance across key infrastructure projects at Estelle, including the Korbel Stibium access road and airstrip expansion.
Highlights
| ● | Additional Key Antimony Plant Equipment Delivered: All remaining antimony processing and refinery equipment has arrived on site. The delivery included two ball mills, a jaw crusher, apron feeder, hydraulic filter presses, and other ancillary equipment required for the antimony recovery process (Figure 1). This follows a 500-ton shipment of processing and refining equipment that arrived at Port Mackenzie on September 6. |
| ● | Antimony Plant Construction to Commence: Early earthworks are underway at Port MacKenzie (Figure 2), with construction of the antimony processing and refinery facility to commence, following receipt of final permits. |
| ● | 2026 Field Program Completed: An extensive ~8,000m diamond drilling program at Estelle, which focused on infill and resource expansion at the RPM gold deposit to advance the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), is now complete. The Stibium and Styx antimony prospects are progressing towards potential resource delineation and production. Samples and drill core from the 2026 field program have been prepared and shipped for analysis, and the Company expects to report results in due course. |
| ● | Estelle Site Infrastructure Construction Continues: The Korbel-Stibium access road (Figure 3) and Whiskey Bravo airstrip expansion (Figure 4) continue to make important progress. |
Nova CEO, Mr. Christopher Gerteisen, commented:
“This equipment delivery brings Nova Minerals a step closer to establishing a secure, vertically integrated antimony supply chain for the United States domestic market.
“The U.S Department of War has designated antimony as a strategic priority for national and economic security, due to its necessity in defense, energy storage, and advanced electronic applications.
“While our 2026 field season, supported by three diamond rigs operating from June through September, has now concluded, activity at both Estelle and Port MacKenzie is continuing at pace. Favorable fall conditions provide an ideal window for earthworks and construction, with these activities set to continue through the winter months.”
Port MacKenzie Antimony Processing and Refinery Facility
The remaining shipment of key ore processing and refining equipment included another 10 truckloads, and follows more than 40 containers that arrived by barge at Port MacKenzie on September 6.
Nova sourced modern processing and milling equipment from a recently decommissioned site in North America to accelerate construction and deliver meaningful cost savings, with first antimony expected in 2027.
Early earthworks are underway (Figure 2), with construction of the antimony processing facility, which is designed to process stibnite-bearing material and, initially, produce antimony metal and military grade trisulfide as part of the U.S. DoW project, to commence following receipt of final permits.
A modular design provides Nova with the flexibility to scale operations over time, and respond to evolving market requirements including building an integrated domestic antimony supply chain within the United States.
Estelle Site Infrastructure Construction
| ● | Korbel-Stibium Access Road: Construction of the Korbel-Stibium access road is progressing at pace, with the project set to provide year-round overland access to the northern prospects, including the Stibium antimony-gold prospect and the Korbel gold deposit, while delivering significant cost savings by reducing reliance on helicopter support (Figure 3). |
| ● | Whiskey Bravo Airstrip Expansion: Construction of the Whiskey Bravo airstrip expansion and apron continues, with the aim to upgrade specification to suit C-130 Hercules size aircraft (Figure 4). Along with significant freight cost savings, the expansion will allow increased freight size and payload capacity from the current 7,000lbs (DC-3) to 42,000lbs (C-130). |
| ● | RPM Road Alignment: The proposed RPM road alignment has been established with initial environmental baseline studies now completed in preparation for permitting application. |
| ● | Onsite Crushing and Ore Sorting Facility: Steel fabrication and site preparation is ongoing at the Whiskey Bravo crushing and ore sorting facility at the Estelle camp. The facility will play a key role in producing a coarse intermediate concentrate for transport to the Port MacKenzie downstream processing and refining plant, where antimony metal and military grade trisulfide will be produced under the $43.4 million DoW award. |
2026 Estelle Field Season Completed
In parallel to establishing the Port MacKenzie refinery, Nova’s 2026 field season at Estelle has concluded. Nova completed ~8,000m of drilling, with three diamond core rigs operating around the clock, seven days a week, between June and September to leverage the longer daylight hours over the Alaskan summer.
| ● | RPM: Several drill pads were established at RPM to focus on infill and expansion drilling, with approximately 4,200m completed at the deposit with the objective of further delineating the eastern strike extension at RPM North and increasing resource confidence at RPM Valley. |
| Drilling at RPM also included approximately 1,500m of near-deposit expansion targets along the ridgeline north of RPM North where previous surface sampling and geophysics identified potential for additional high-grade, RPM-style gold mineralization. | |
| Outside of drilling, detailed geologic mapping was undertaken at RPM, as well as surface reconnaissance work between RPM and the Revelation prospect where previous surface sampling returned rock chip assays up to 24.6 grams per tonne gold. | |
| Drill samples have been logged, prepared, and shipped to the ALS laboratory for analysis. | |
| ● | Korbel: Throughout the 2026 field season, PFS metallurgical test work, environmental and other technical studies continued at the Korbel deposit. |
| Korbel will comprise a significant portion of the ore volume in any future mining scenario at Estelle. | |
| ● | Stibium: At the Stibium antimony-gold prospect, Nova completed approximately 800m of targeted drilling across gold and stibnite (antimony) anomalies identified in surface sampling, with drilling occurring from a newly-established pad on the south face of the prospect, lower down on the slope and 200m closer to the target zone. |
| ● | Portage Pass: A detailed soils grid was conducted across the Portage Pass valley area with assays anticipated in the coming months. |
| ● | Stoney: One 415m drill hole was drilled at the end of the season targeting the Massive Au-Ag-Cu-Sb bearing Stoney Vein. |
| ● | West Wing: Detailed mapping and sampling were completed at West Wing, with samples sent to ALS and assays expected in the coming months. |
| ● | Train: Two holes were drilled at Train for approximately 475m, targeting a sheeted vein set with high-grade surface samples returning up to 128 g/t Au. |
| ● | Styx: During the field season, Nova drilled approximately 500m over two holes from the newly constructed drill pad on the eastern side of Styx to test the 1m-thick quartz-stibnite vein at the prospect. |
| In parallel, the Company extracted 100 tons of antimony ore to provide initial feed material for downstream processing and refining at the Port MacKenzie plant once construction has been completed. |
Figure 1. Ball mill delivered to Alaska
Figure 2. Port MacKenzie antimony processing plant site early earthworks
Figure 3. Korbel-Stibium access road construction works
Figure 4. Whiskey Bravo airstrip expansion construction works
About Nova Minerals Corp
Nova Minerals Corp is advancing one of the world’s largest undeveloped gold deposits into production and securing a US domestic supply of the critical mineral antimony. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of the Estelle Gold and Critical Minerals Project, located in Alaska, a tier-one mining jurisdiction.
Estelle hosts two defined multi-million-ounce gold resources, and more than 20 prospects distributed along a 35-kilometre mineralized trend, in the prolific Tintina Gold Belt, a province which hosts a >220 million ounce (Moz) documented gold endowment and some of the world’s largest gold mines and discoveries including Kinross Gold Corporation’s Fort Knox Gold Mine. In parallel, Nova is advancing its critical minerals strategy, fully-funded by a $43.4 million U.S. Department of War award to develop a domestic antimony supply chain, targeted for production in 2027.
Further discussion and analysis of the Estelle Project is available through the interactive Vrify 3D animations, presentations, and videos, all available on the Company’s website www.novamineralscorp.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release are forward-looking statements and that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “aim,” “should,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these words or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are based on Nova Minerals Corp’s current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Nova Minerals Corp undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
For further information:
Nova Minerals: |
Media: | Investor Relations: | ||
| Craig Bentley | Jenna Shinderman | Dave Gentry, CEO | ||
| Director | Sodali & Co | RedChip Companies, Inc. | ||
| Ph: 1-720-550-4223 | Ph: 1-631-918-4047 | Ph: 1-407-644-4256 | ||
| E: craig@novamineralscorp.com | E: jenna.shinderman@sodali.com | E: NVA@redchip.com |