MP Materials produces specialty materials that are vital inputs for the EV and renewable energy industries (see our feature article from March 2024). The company is expanding its manufacturing operations downstream to provide a full supply chain solution from raw materials to magnetic products.
Now MP Materials says it has reached a pivotal milestone in restoring the US rare earth magnet supply chain. The company’s flagship Independence facility in Fort Worth, Texas has begun commercial production of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) metal and trial production of automotive-grade, sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets.
NdFeB magnets are essential components in vehicles, drones, robotics, electronics, and aerospace and defense systems. For decades, the US has relied almost entirely on foreign sources for these critical materials.
The Independence facility is poised to produce approximately 1,000 metric tons of finished NdFeB magnets per year, and production will ramp up beginning in late 2025. The facility will supply magnets to GM and other manufacturers, sourcing its raw materials from Mountain Pass, MP Materials’ mine and processing facility in California.
In 2024, the Mountain Pass mine delivered more than 45,000 metric tons of rare earth oxides (REO) contained in concentrate, as well as approximately 1,300 metric tons of NdPr oxide, in addition to cerium, lanthanum, and other separated and refined products.
“This milestone marks a major step forward in restoring a fully integrated rare earth magnet supply chain in the United States,” said James Litinsky, founder, Chairman and CEO of MP Materials. “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 US competitiveness in a vital sector.”
Source: MP Materials
