FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Houghton, MI – March 10, 2025
· Project is proceeding as planned, consistent with January 20, 2025 Executive Orders 14156: Declaring a National Energy Emergency, and 14154: Unleashing American Energy.
· Highly competitive grant award facilitates the development and construction of the REV Nickel critical minerals processing complex in partnership with Eagle Mine in northern Michigan.
· The REV Nickel project plans to build upon an existing asset for critical mineral processing at Eagle Mine (Humboldt Mill) by creating a region-wide hub for domestic critical mineral production for decades to come.
HOUGHTON, MI (March 10, 2025) – Revex Technologies Inc., a next-generation critical mineral processing company, is pleased to announce that they have received a contracted grant award of $145 million from the Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC). These funds, awarded to Revex Technologies Inc. and sub-recipient Eagle Mine LLC, will support the development and construction of the REV Nickel Project to produce sustainable nickel concentrate and other valuable U.S.-sourced critical minerals from metal-bearing waste streams, including discarded mine tailings and spent lithium-ion batteries (LIB). Revex and partners have also committed to benefit organizations and communities across northern Michigan through a comprehensive community benefits plan.
Revex’s proprietary mineral processing solutions and REV Nickel project will strengthen the domestic critical mineral supply chain, produce increased quantities of nickel, which is essential for domestic manufacturing, and create attractive clean-tech jobs. Revex Technologies, the prime recipient, is a U.S. corporation with core competencies in developing and implementing cutting-edge technologies for mineral processing, forging best-in-class partnerships, and ensuring seamless project execution. Eagle Mine, the sub-recipient, is a U.S subsidiary of Lundin Mining (LUNMF) of Canada and the only operating primary nickel mine in the United States. The project is expected to have its first product within 20 months of funding and will be led by Principal Investigator Michael Cleveland, P.E. Rev Nickel will provide enough domestic nickel for approximately half a million EV batteries annually.
“We are very proud to have been awarded this highly competitive grant contract and appreciate the trust placed in us by the U.S. Department of Energy. This grant is the keystone to support our mission to innovate and lead in the sustainable production of critical materials for the battery market”, says John Rockwell, CEO of Revex. “With this funding, we can accelerate our efforts to develop sustainable solutions, enhance capabilities with Eagle Mine, our sub-recipient, and ultimately contribute to sustainably producing critical minerals in Michigan.
The REV Nickel project plans to build upon an existing asset for critical mineral processing at Eagle Mine’s Humboldt Mill by creating a region-wide hub for domestic critical minerals. Revex will reclaim and remediate 10+ years of tailings stored in a subaqueous tailings storage facility and all new tailings from Eagle Mine, and from additional development and exploration within the Upper Peninsula and Upper Midwest region.
Revex and Eagle Mine’s joint strategy for REV Nickel is to construct and operate three related facilities in northern Michigan. First, the Eagle Paste Facility will utilize commercial floatation technology to process mine wastes containing residual nickel to produce paste backfill and nickel iron sulfide. Second, the reClaim facility will utilize commercial fluidized bed roasting and reduction technology to produce Green Nickel Concentrate from the Paste Facility output. And third, the reCover facility will utilize commercial grinding and mechanical separation technologies to extract cobalt, nickel and lithium from spent LIB batteries.
The project is expected to add 115 new clean tech jobs, retain 425 jobs at Eagle Mine and support 360 construction jobs over the construction period, bringing economic and social equity to a region which contains Justice 40, 48C energy community and disadvantaged qualifying census tracts. It will establish material training, apprenticeship programs, and upskilling of the workforce in this location. Eagle Mine and Revex Technologies have been working with the Upper Peninsula Construction Council (UPCC) and the Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council (MBCTC) to ensure local labor is used during construction. The REV Nickel project will expand the enhanced Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP), a partnership initiative for environmental justice between Eagle Mine, Superior Watershed Partnership, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and the Marquette Community Foundation. It will be a vital economic anchor in a rural and historically mining-based economy and is committed to creating impactful and durable community and stakeholder benefits.
The contracted grant award commenced on January 15, 2025.
For more information about Revex Technologies and their REV Nickel project, please visit their website at: www.RevexTech.com.
About REVEX TECHNOLOGIES
REVEX will be a leader in sustainable processing and production of green nickel concentrate and other critical minerals essential for the clean energy transition. By reclaiming and recycling various waste feedstocks including spent lithium-ion batteries, manufacturing scrap, and discarded mine tailings Revex is poised to address the increasing demand for domestic supply of battery-quality nickel, lithium, and cobalt. Revex is vertically integrating upstream extraction, midstream processing and downstream recycling to advance circular solutions, while also benefiting communities. Revex is reshaping the critical minerals economy. To learn more, visit us at www.revextech.com.
About DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
MESC plays a critical and unique role in catalyzing investments in America’s energy future to support the re-shoring, skilling, and scaling of U.S. manufacturing across energy supply chains. MESC serves as the frontline of clean energy deployment and accelerates America’s transition to a resilient, equitable energy future through data-driven investments in manufacturing capacity and workforce development. Learn more at: www.energy.gov/mesc or LinkedIn.
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About MTEC
Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation (MTEC) is one of 21 SmartZone Incubators in the State of Michigan. MTEC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Its mission is to facilitate the creation and ongoing success of high-tech value propositions in conjunction with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. Since 2003, the MTEC SmartZone has provided mentoring, technical support, and other services to local companies, leading to the creation of over 800 high-tech jobs in the Houghton and Hancock, Michigan area.
About MEDC
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, in collaboration with more than 100 economic development partners, markets Michigan as the place to do business, assists businesses in their growth strategies, and fosters the growth of vibrant communities across the state. MEDC’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation initiative establishes Michigan as the place to create and grow a business by providing high-tech start-up companies with access to a variety of critical resources, such as funding and expert counsel, from ideation to maturation. For more on MEDC Entrepreneurship & Innovation, visit michiganbusiness.org/entrepreneurship.