MP Materials restores US rare earth magnet production
MP Materials has reached a milestone in restoring the US rare earth magnet supply chain. The company’s flagship Independence facility in Fort Worth, Texas, has started commercial production of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) metal and trial production of automotive-grade, sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets.
NdFeB magnets — the world’s most powerful and efficient permanent magnets — are key components in vehicles, drones, robotics, electronics, and aerospace and defence systems. Despite their role, the US has relied almost entirely on foreign sources for these critical inputs for decades. MP Materials is addressing this gap by building America’s first fully integrated rare earth metal, alloy, and magnet manufacturing facility.
“This milestone marks a major step forward in restoring a fully integrated rare earth magnet supply chain in the United States,” says James Litinsky, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of MP Materials, in a press release. “With record-setting upstream and midstream production at Mountain Pass and both metal and magnet production underway at Independence, we have reached a significant turning point for MP and U.S. competitiveness in a vital sector.”
With commercial NdPr metal production already online and trial production of sintered magnets underway, Independence is poised to produce approximately 1,000 metric tons of finished NdFeB magnets per year, with a gradual production ramp beginning in late 2025.
The facility will supply magnets to General Motors and other manufacturers, sourcing its raw materials from Mountain Pass, MP Materials’ mine and processing facility in California.
