** Shares of Ioneer rise 20.6% to A$0.205, their biggest intraday pct gain since late-August 2024
** The lithium-boron producer announced the close of a $996 mln (A$1.60 bln) loan from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
** Loan to support the development of an on-site processing facility at the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada, U.S., says Ioneer
** About 11.9 mln shares change hands, 3.3 times vs the 30-day average of 3.9 mln
** INR stock rose as much as 29.4% earlier in the day, hitting its highest level since early Dec, 2024
** Stock gained 6.7% in 2024
(1 Australian dollar = $0.6213)
(Reporting by Manasi Dasa Sundeep in Bengaluru)
((Manasi.DasaSundeep@thomsonreuters.com;))