The Trump administration is set to authorise South32’s planned $US2 billion zinc and manganese mine in Arizona on Tuesday.

The Agriculture Deprtment’s US Forest Service plans to issue a record of decision greenlighting the project near the Mexico border after the Trump administration gave it fast-track permitting, according to a statement from the agency seen by Bloomberg.

The project was the first mining project to win expedited treatment from the Agriculture Department, after the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council designated it for swift review.

The critical minerals project contains one of the world’s largest undeveloped zinc deposits as well as other key minerals essential for steel and the production of large-capacity batteries, the Agriculture Department said.

The fast-track approval dovetails with President Donald Trump’s second-term goal of boosting US supply chains and lessening the country’s reliance on China for critical minerals that are essential to manufacturing consumer goods and advanced energy technology.

“The Hermosa critical minerals project shows how increasing domestic production can reduce our dependence on vulnerable foreign sources, and power modern industries, advanced technologies and essential infrastructure,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

Perth, Australia-based South32 has said the mine, located in the Patagonia Mountains about 80km southeast of Tucson, Arizona, will reach full production by 2029.

Under its expedited review, the mine is securing approval two months ahead of a deadline under federal environmental law.

That demonstrates the administration’s commitment to to getting these projects online responsibly and quickly, the Agriculture Department said. The project was first nominated for fast-track consideration under former President Joe Biden.

South32 is aiming to prioritize domestic and regional smelters for copper extracted from the site.

Currently, China dominates the world’s zinc smelting capacity, and the US depends heavily on imports of processed metal.