Milford Mining Company Utah and Furnace Japan launched a partnership to recover tungsten and critical minerals from mine tailings using cleaner processing technology, advancing sustainable mining, domestic supply chains and rural economic growth.
Milford, Utah — May 7, 2026
A new international partnership could put rural Utah at the center of a cleaner, more strategic critical minerals supply chain.
Milford Mining Company Utah (MMCU) announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Osaka City, Japan-based Furnace Japan Co. to pilot advanced processing technology designed to recover tungsten and other critical minerals from historical mine tailings while dramatically reducing environmental impact.
The agreement pairs MMCU’s mining assets in Beaver County, including copper resources, historical tungsten deposits and legacy tailings, with Furnace Japan’s patented electric resistance furnace (ERF) technology. The companies say the collaboration could transform previously discarded mining waste into commercially viable domestic mineral supply.
The announcement marks another major step in MMCU’s evolution after what the company previously described as a transformative year that included restarting copper operations at one of the highest-grade copper mines in the United States. The company has increasingly positioned itself as both a domestic copper producer and a broader critical minerals platform focused on U.S. supply chain security.
Unlike traditional extraction systems that rely heavily on acid-intensive processing, Furnace Japan’s pyrometallurgical ERF technology uses primarily electrical energy to process ore and mine tailings. The process significantly reduces chemical waste and produces environmentally stable slag that can potentially be reused for industrial applications.
Under the agreement, the companies plan to develop a pilot plant in Milford capable of recovering tungsten and additional valuable minerals from historical tailings sites. If testing is successful, the partners intend to scale the technology into a commercial operation and eventually apply it to newly mined ore as well.
The project arrives as demand for critical minerals accelerates across AI infrastructure, electrification, semiconductors and defense manufacturing. Tungsten, in particular, is considered strategically important because of its use in aerospace systems, electronics, industrial tooling and military applications.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox called the partnership an example of how advanced technology and Utah’s natural resources can work together to strengthen the state’s economy and domestic mineral capabilities.
“The agreement with Furnace Japan highlights Milford Mining Company Utah’s global leadership in pioneering innovation that shows what’s possible when Utah’s resources are paired with world-class technology,” Cox said in a statement.
MMCU Chairman Roger Barris said the company sees the initiative as an opportunity to convert mining byproducts into strategic materials while strengthening American supply chain independence.
The location could become a differentiator. MMCU’s operations sit within Utah’s Milford Renewable Energy Corridor, giving the project potential access to geothermal and wind energy sources that could power future processing operations with a lower carbon footprint than conventional mining systems.
The partnership also reflects broader U.S.–Japan cooperation around critical mineral supply chains as both countries seek alternatives to foreign-controlled processing capacity. By combining Japanese metallurgical technology with U.S. mining assets and infrastructure, the companies say the collaboration could establish a new model for allied industrial development focused on sustainability and national security.
The Milford project also reflects a broader resurgence of copper and critical mineral development across Utah, where several previously dormant mining operations have recently restarted amid rising demand tied to electrification, AI infrastructure and domestic supply-chain security.
In Beaver County, Milford Mining recently restarted copper production at a mine that had sat dormant since 2019, part of a growing trend across Utah where older mining assets are being revived with modern technology and new investment. Separately, Mariana Minerals recently reopened the former Lisbon Valley Copper Mine near La Sal as what the company described as the world’s first fully autonomous copper mining operation, deploying AI-driven systems, autonomous haul trucks and robotic drilling technologies, as covered by TechBuzz. Together, the projects signal how Utah is emerging as a national center for next-generation domestic mineral production.
For Utah, this latest Milford Mining announcement reinforces the state’s growing role in domestic critical mineral production at a time when federal policymakers and private industry are racing to secure reliable North American supply chains for energy transition and advanced manufacturing industries.
Learn more at milfordmining.com and furnace.jp/en.