Lisbon, July 3, 2026 (Lusa) - ACM – Alchemy & Critical Metals aims to position Portugal as a European leader in antimony refining, with the construction of a refinery in Sines, on the Alentejo coast, to strengthen the European Union’s (EU) strategic autonomy, the company said on Friday.
Speaking to Lusa, ACM co-founder Isidro de Brito stated that “Europe needs to rebuild its own capacity to refine critical raw materials, and Portugal is well placed to be at the forefront of this response”, adding that this is “ACM’s commitment”.
According to the company, the antimony refinery project in Sines has entered the implementation phase following the signing of the land reservation agreement with business and industrial park managers, aicep Global Parques, and is now moving on to the licensing procedures, detailed engineering and structuring of the financing.
The company stated that the agreement secures a 13-hectare plot in the Sines Industrial and Logistics Zone (ZILS), under a 30-year surface rights lease, marking a step towards the final investment decision (FID) and the gradual start-up of operations, scheduled for 2030.
According to ACM, the project aims to help strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in the refining of critical raw materials, at a time when antimony processing capacity remains heavily concentrated in a few markets.
The future industrial plant will have the capacity to produce 10,000 tonnes of antimony per year, a metal used in sectors such as energy, semiconductors, mobility and defence, and included on the EU’s list of critical raw materials under Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 (Critical Raw Materials Act).
Speaking to Lusa, Isidro de Brito said that “this contract marks the project’s transition to the implementation phase”.
The investment amount has yet to be disclosed; according to ACM, it will only be confirmed as part of the final investment decision.
The project is expected to create around 150 direct jobs and approximately 300 indirect ones.
The company also stated that the refinery will be developed in accordance with Best Available Techniques (BAT), incorporating high environmental and safety standards, as well as management systems to be certified in line with industry standards.
aicep Global Parques explained that antimony is a metal considered essential for sectors such as energy, the technology industry, semiconductors, mobility and defence.
Currently, its production and refining are “heavily concentrated in a few markets”, and the export restrictions introduced in recent years have highlighted the vulnerability of European supply chains, causing market tensions and rising prices.
PYR/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
