The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - January 22, 2025
Rare earth metal produced at MP Materials' Independence facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
MP Materials' state-of-the-art Independence rare earth magnet manufacturing facility in Texas.
A rare earth magnet produced at Independence.
With the start of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) metal production at its Independence plant in Fort Worth, Texas, MP Materials has forged a critical link to an all-American mine-to-magnets rare earth supply chain that connects its Mountain Pass Mine in California to garages, homes, businesses, and industries across the United States.
"This milestone marks a major step forward in restoring a fully integrated rare earth magnet supply chain in the United States," MP Materials Chairman and CEO James Litinsky said in a statement on the start of NdPr production in Texas.
NdPr is a mix of two powerful magnetic rare earths that are primary ingredients in neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets – the world's most powerful permanent magnets. With the ability to efficiently convert energy into motion and motion into energy, these rare earth magnets are used in electric vehicles, robots, drones, wind turbines, and even in the motors that make our smartphones vibrate.
While the demand for NdFeB magnets is rocketing due their use in EV motors, robots, and drones, these important components of modern technologies are not currently being commercially produced in the U.S. As a result, American manufacturers must depend largely on China for their supply.
U.S. manufacturers' heavy reliance on China, which controls roughly 70% of global rare earth supply and 90% of NdFeB magnets, underscores a critical vulnerability and raises concerns for economic and national security.
MP Materials is on the cusp of forging a domestic supply chain that will provide American automakers and other manufacturers with a domestic option for NdFeB magnets.
MP Materials' state-of-the-art Independence rare earth magnet manufacturing facility in Texas.
During 2024, MP Materials' Mountain Pass Mine produced 45,000 metric tons of rare earth oxides, a record for both the mine and the United States. While the global rare earth production quantities for 2024 are still being compiled, the world-class mine in California's Mojave Desert is expected to account for more than 12% of the total.
Until recently, however, all of the rare earths-enriched concentrates produced at Mountain Pass had to be sent to China for processing and to be upgraded into other value-added products such as rare earth magnets.
With the backing and support from the U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors, and others, MP Materials has been building the capacity to process and separate rare earths, and then upgrade those technology elements into metals and magnets.
Last year, the company produced a record 1,300 metric tons of NdPr oxide – along with cerium, lanthanum, and other separated and refined rare earth products – at the Mountain Pass Mine.
A rare earth magnet produced at Independence.
Now, MP Materials' Independence plant in Texas is upgrading the NdPr oxides mined and processed in California into metals and has begun trial-scale production of automotive-grade NdFeB with those rare earth metals.
"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," said Litinsky.
With all the other links of its mine-to-magnets rare earth supply chain forged, MP Materials is focused on ramping up annual NdFeB magnet production at Independence to 1,000 metric tons starting later this year.
As MP Materials ramps up NdFeB magnet production at its Independence plant, the U.S. takes a decisive step toward reestablishing a fully integrated, domestic rare earths supply chain, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains and bolstering domestic manufacturing.
With more than 16 years of covering mining, Shane is renowned for his insights and and in-depth analysis of mining, mineral exploration and technology metals.
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