Aug 9, 2026 – 11.47amWashington | A decade ago, mining executives and billionaire backers were drawn to the backblocks of NSW where deposits of a little-known mineral needed to make missiles, fighter and spacecraft were plentiful.Outside the tiny town of Fifield near Dubbo, six hours west of Sydney, former Rio Tinto executive Sam Riggall and his team at Sunrise Energy Metals had identified one of the world’s largest and highest quality scandium deposits, in a rich mineral ring around a nickel and cobalt resource.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Inside the Pentagon’s backing of a surging NSW miner
Sunrise Energy Metals CEO Sam Riggall wants to develop a mine in central NSW that could replace China’s supply of the weapon-making mineral all on its own.
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