Tantalum Supply Brief
America stopped mining tantalum in 1959
In every phone and every jet engine, and the United States imports all of it. We hold an Ontario LCT pegmatite.
If you want exposure to a metal the United States has decided it needs to source at home, the question is not whether tantalum matters. It is where an allied supply of it is going to come from.
Our answer is White Willow, a lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatite property near Atikokan in northwestern Ontario.[2]
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White Willow, the capital structure, and what happens next.
One
No domestic mine since 1959
Tantalum has not been mined in the United States since 1959.[1]
The United States has no tantalum mine production and imports what it consumes.[1] Supply is concentrated in central Africa and Australia, which is why tantalum sits inside conflict-minerals due diligence regimes.[1]
Tantalum ores and concentrates: Australia, 64%; Congo (Kinshasa), 9%; Mozambique, 10%; United Arab Emirates, 5%; and other, 12%.[1]
Washington named it directly
Tantalum is not a general concern about supply chains. It is written into federal acquisition rules by name. DFARS 252.225-7052 restricts the acquisition of certain magnets, tantalum and tungsten, and the restriction carries a dated waiver limit.[3]
On January 1, 2027, the Secretary of War (Secretary) and the Secretaries of the military departments shall cease to issue waivers under 10 U.S.C. 4872(c)(1) for the acquisition of covered materials under 10 U.S.C. 4872, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section.[4]
Tantalum was also named directly, alongside niobium, in the critical mining investments announced in August 2026.[5]
The Export-Import Bank is investing $25 million into Global Advanced Materials in Pennsylvania for tantalum and niobium to support electronic, magnet, and steel production.[5]
The investment described above is an investment by an agency of the United States government in a third-party company named in the source document. Totec Resources Ltd. is not a party to it, is not a beneficiary of it, and is not an applicant to any related programme. It is provided for market and industry context only and is not a prediction of Totec's results.[5]
Where United States tantalum ore actually comes from
Tantalum ores and concentrates, share of United States imports, 2021 to 2024
Source[1]
Two
What we hold
White Willow is a lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite property in the Thunder Bay South Mining District of Ontario, a stable North American jurisdiction with year-round road access.[2]
Tantalum is the T in LCT. Pegmatite-hosted columbite-tantalite is the geological setting the property type is named for, and it sits in a stable North American jurisdiction rather than in the regions the due diligence regimes were written about. That is why the property is relevant to this story, and it is the extent of what can responsibly be said today.
We will state the limits plainly. No mineral resource has been defined at White Willow. Totec has not established that tantalum mineralization of economic value exists on the property. Any historical results reported by prior operators are historical in nature, have not been independently verified by Totec, and should not be relied upon.[2]
Why we keep coming back to it
A metal with no United States mine production since 1959, named by itself in federal defence acquisition rules with a dated waiver limit, and named again in the August 2026 critical mining announcements. Set beside that, an early stage LCT pegmatite property on allied ground in Ontario that we still have to prove.[1][3][2]
One half is a shortage the United States has written into its own procurement rules. The other is ground at an early stage of exploration, with the work ahead of it, not behind it.
Read the full tantalum briefing, or the White Willow project page. Subscribe below and we will send our news releases when we announce them. Review our continuous disclosure on SEDAR+.
Common Questions
Frequently asked
What is tantalum used for?
The dominant use is tantalum capacitors, which store more charge per unit volume than most alternatives and tolerate heat and vibration. That makes them standard in smartphones, medical implants, aircraft engines, automotive electronics and defence systems. Tantalum is also used in superalloys, chemical process equipment and surgical implants, because it is highly corrosion resistant and biocompatible.
Where does tantalum come from?
A majority of global tantalum supply originates in central Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, which is why tantalum sits inside conflict-minerals due diligence regimes. Brazil and Australia supply most of the remainder. There is no significant North American mine production.
What is tantalite?
Tantalite is an iron manganese tantalum oxide and the principal tantalum ore mineral. It forms a series with columbite, the equivalent niobium mineral, and the two commonly occur together in pegmatites. Which one dominates depends on how far the host system fractionated.
Why is tantalum described as a conflict mineral?
Tantalum is one of the so-called 3TG minerals, alongside tin, tungsten and gold, covered by supply chain due diligence rules because artisanal mining in parts of central Africa has been linked to armed conflict financing. Supply originating outside that region carries a materially different due diligence profile.
Investor updates
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If the tantalum story is worth watching, the fastest way to follow it is by email. You can also speak to the CEO directly.
Prefer to talk? +1 (778) 899-1780 or deepak@totecresources.com
Sources
References
Every numbered claim on this page is attributed to the source it came from.
- pubs.usgs.gov Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Tantalum, U.S. Geological Survey
- sedarplus.ca NI 43-101 Technical Report on the White Willow Property, Thunder Bay South Mining District, Ontario, filed on SEDAR+
- acquisition.gov DFARS 252.225-7052, Restriction on the Acquisition of Certain Magnets, Tantalum, and Tungsten, May 2024
- whitehouse.gov Executive Order 14415, Securing America's Defense Supply Chains and Ensuring Domestic Acquisition of Critical Materials, July 20, 2026
- whitehouse.gov Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Billions in New Deals and Investments to Power American Mining, The White House, August 7, 2026
Sources are named to identify where the information came from. Their inclusion does not indicate any affiliation with, sponsorship of, or endorsement of Totec Resources Ltd. by the organisations cited, or by the Government of the United States. Third-party statements describe the metal and its supply chain. They are not statements about Totec Resources Ltd. or the White Willow Property, and no inference should be drawn from them as to the presence, grade or economic viability of any mineralization on the Property.
Published by Totec Resources Ltd. This page is investor relations material issued by and on behalf of the Company. It is not independent editorial or third-party research.
Market and macro information on this page describes general supply and demand conditions for tantalum and is drawn from third-party sources. It is provided for education and industry context only. It is not a forecast of prices, not a forecast of Totec Resources' results, and not investment advice.
Totec Resources has no mineral resource estimate and no mineral reserve estimate on the White Willow Property. Exploration is at an early stage and carries a high degree of risk. Nothing on this page should be read as a statement that mineralization of economic value has been identified on the property.
The scientific and technical information on this page has been reviewed and approved by Deepak Varshney, P.Geo, CEO and Director of Totec Resources, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
This page contains forward-looking statements regarding Totec Resources Ltd. and its exploration plans. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Totec undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by law.
Nothing on this page is an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Investing in the securities of mineral exploration companies is speculative and carries a high degree of risk. Review the Company's continuous disclosure record on SEDAR+ and consult a licensed investment advisor before making any investment decision.