
Fort Worth's quest to revive the U.S. rare earth magnet supply chain is now electric, as MP Materials powers up production at its new facility, aiming to wean the nation off its heavy reliance on imported materials. The Fort Worth plant is part of a broader $700 million strategy to rejuvenate domestic production, with the magnets intended to power not only consumer electronics but also the burgeoning electric vehicle market, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
Marking a significant advancement in the U.S.'s material independence, the plant’s production capabilities have been confirmed by MP Materials CEO James Litinsky, who announced the start of commercial production and the trial production of automotive grade magnets on January 22. He emphasized the plant's importance, stating, "This milestone marks a major step forward in restoring a fully integrated rare earth magnet supply chain in the United States", as reported by the Fort Worth Report. China currently dominates the market, producing 92% of the world's magnets and 58% of rare earth mining, which places the United States in a vulnerable position, commodity-wise.
With a planned capacity of about 1,000 metric tons of finished magnets per year, the facility is just scratching the surface of the global demand. Nonetheless, it's a substantial leap towards fortifying U.S. production chains. The Fort Worth plant is slated to supply General Motors alongside other manufacturers and will source its raw materials from the Mountain Pass mine in California, according to the Fort Worth Report. This site reportedly hit a U.S. record in 2024 by extracting over 45,000 metric tons of rare earth oxides in concentrate.
The push for domestic production is echoed in the academic arena, with the University of Texas at Arlington landing a $1.3 million grant aiming to develop less costly rare earth sourcing methods. UTA physicist J. Ping Liu, leading the initiative, is bullish on the project's potential. “Our new designs will create valuable, environmentally friendly manufacturing jobs while helping reduce our reliance on international suppliers for materials critical to high-tech devices,” Liu told the Fort Worth Report. The project is one of many backed by the Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Collaborative to jump-start the U.S. supply chain for essential materials.