Ardea Resources (ASX:ARL) said its joint venture (JV) entity, Kalgoorlie Nickel, has been granted lead agency status by the Western Australian Department of Energy and Economic Diversification for the Kalgoorlie Nickel Project-Goongarrie Hub, according to a Thursday filing with the Australian bourse.

The designation is meant to simplify government coordination, approval processes, and infrastructure support for projects deemed strategically important, per the filing.

The Goongarrie Hub in Western Australia's Goldfields is a major nickel-cobalt resource supplying critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage, and the state's battery materials industry, the filing added.