The MP Materials magnet facility is a planned rare earth magnet manufacturing plant under development within AllianceTexas, a 27,000-acre mixed-use development in Fort Worth, Texas. The project has an estimated investment value of $700 million and is being developed by MP Materials Corp., which is headquartered in Las Vegas.

Construction activities have commenced at the site located within AllianceTexas. The facility is expected to cover approximately 200,000 square feet and is designed to produce up to 1,000 tonnes of neodymium-iron-boron magnets per year.

According to the developer, the plant is projected to be completed in about two years. Once operational, it is expected to be the first newly built rare earth magnet manufacturing facility of this type in the United States.

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It will fully restore the rare earth magnetics supply chain of the U.S  by producing alloy and NdFeB magnets, which are not only essential for building Electric Vehicles(EV) but also critical inputs for wind turbines, drones, robots defence systems, and several other advanced technologies. 

The MP Materials magnet facility may receive materials from the ongoing Longonjo rare earth project in Angola. Pensana Plc. has noted in a press release it has made considerable strides in the construction activities at the Longonjo rare earth project. Based in Angola, the mine is deemed as one of the world’s largest and highest-grade rare earth mines. The company noted that the project “continues at pace and is looking forward to a twelve-month period of intense activity with commissioning scheduled for 2027.”

The U.S. has taken a keen interest in the project in an aim to bolster its rare earth supply chain.

Discussions are also well advanced with a number of parties to establish a U.S. mine-to-magnet supply chain. The aim is to realign a major long term supply chain of critical minerals from Angola to OEM backed magnet producers in the U.S.

MP Materials Magnet facility under a long-term supply agreement with General Motors

According to the company, the MP Materials Magnet facility is expected to begin production in late 2023, upon which it will start supplying magnets and other parts to be used for (General Motors) GM’s electric motors.

This arrangement is based on the long-term supply agreement between MP Materials Corp and GM, which was co-announced by the companies last December. Under this long-term supply agreement, the facility will supply GM with US-sourced and manufactured rare earth materials, alloy, and finished magnets for over a dozen EV models using GM’s Ultium Platform, with a gradual increase in production.

The Executive Director of General Motors, Anirvan Coomer, spoke in support of the new MP Materials magnetics facility in Fort Worth, and he mentioned that GM would make use of products from this plant to develop several EV models which include GMC HUMMER EV, Cadillac LYRIQ, Chevrolet Silverado EV, and over a dozen more models based on GM’s Ultium platform.

Coomer also said his company was looking forward to working with MP Materials on policies, which are supportive of establishing an efficient U.S.-based rare earth and magnet supply chain.