5 companies working to expand America’s rare earth processing capacity

Rare earth elements are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, robotics, semiconductors, and military systems. But building a reliable US supply chain requires more than finding deposits. Mining, refining, separating rare earths, and turning them into usable metals and magnets are all technically demanding processes.

Five companies—Tactical Resources, USA Rare Earth, MP Materials, Energy Fuels, and NioCorp Developments—are pursuing different parts of that supply chain, from mining and processing to magnet manufacturing. Their projects range from operating facilities to early-stage developments.

1. Tactical Resources is targeting heavy rare earths in Texas

Tactical Resources Corp. is advancing its Peak Project in Hudspeth County, Texas, approximately 90 miles southeast of El Paso. The project focuses on rare earth-enriched material already stockpiled at the Sierra Blanca Quarry after two decades of railway ballast production.

The company says its analytical data show heavy rare earth elements and yttrium averaging more than twice the concentration of light rare earth elements. These materials are particularly relevant to the US supply chain because Western production and processing capacity is limited.

In September 2026, Tactical outlined plans to advance metallurgical testing, permitting roadmaps, engineering work, and downstream partnerships. Initial testing by Kemetco Research reported total rare earth and yttrium extraction rates of up to 96.1 percent under heated hydrochloric acid conditions.

However, these are preliminary, scoping-scale results, not demonstrated commercial recovery rates. The project has no established mineral resource or reserve estimate, and Tactical has not yet completed a preliminary economic assessment.

2. USA Rare Earth is building an integrated supply chain

USA Rare Earth Inc. is pursuing a mine-to-magnet strategy that combines upstream mining and processing with rare earth metal and permanent magnet manufacturing.

Its Round Top deposit in West Texas contains heavy rare earths and other critical minerals. The company also completed its combination with Brazil’s Serra Verde Group in September 2026, adding an operating mining and processing business in Goiás, Brazil.

Serra Verde began production in January 2024. USA Rare Earth expects its first-stage operation to reach approximately 4,000 metric tons per year of total rare earth oxide production by the end of 2026.

The company has also broken ground on a planned $1.2 billion rare earth metal and magnet manufacturing facility in Blacksburg, South Carolina. The facility is intended to expand US capacity to manufacture permanent magnets used in vehicles, electronics, and defense systems.

3. MP Materials operates America’s Mountain Pass rare earth mine

MP Materials Corp. operates the Mountain Pass rare earth mine and processing facility in California, one of the country’s established sources of domestically mined rare earth materials.

The company is also expanding downstream operations, including metal, alloy, and magnet manufacturing at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility.

In its second-quarter 2026 results, MP Materials reported neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) production of 840 metric tons, a 41 percent increase year over year. NdPr sales reached 1,006 metric tons, up 127 percent, while consolidated revenue rose 89 percent to $108.5 million.

The company also signed a long-term agreement to supply separated gadolinium to an American aerospace and defense customer, expanding its heavy rare earth product portfolio.

4. Energy Fuels is expanding rare earth processing in Utah

Energy Fuels Inc. is developing rare earth processing capacity at its White Mesa Mill in Utah, a facility traditionally associated with uranium processing.

The company has begun construction on an approximately $104 million expansion intended to enable large-scale production of heavy rare earth oxides. The project is also expected to include a circuit for processing mixed rare earth carbonates from global feedstock sources.

Energy Fuels has identified its planned Donald Project joint venture in Australia as a potential source of rare earth feedstock. It is also pursuing acquisitions intended to add rare earth metal, alloy, and magnet manufacturing capabilities.

The White Mesa expansion is aimed at a key supply chain gap: converting rare earth-bearing materials into separated oxides that can be used in downstream manufacturing.

5. NioCorp Developments is advancing a Nebraska critical minerals project

NioCorp Developments Ltd. is developing the Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project in southeast Nebraska. The planned operation is designed to produce several critical mineral products, including ferroniobium, scandium, titanium, and rare earth oxides.

Its updated 2026 feasibility study outlines a proposed 40-year operation with a planned product slate that includes neodymium-praseodymium oxide, dysprosium oxide, and terbium oxide.

The company has also signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Lockheed Martin to potentially purchase up to 15 metric tons of scandium oxide annually.

Construction of the project’s main underground access portal began in February 2026. However, Elk Creek remains a development project, and its planned production should not be confused with output from an operating rare earth mine.

Building a domestic rare earth supply chain

These five companies represent different approaches to expanding US access to rare earths. MP Materials already operates a domestic mine, while Energy Fuels is expanding processing capacity. USA Rare Earth is combining overseas production with US manufacturing, and Tactical Resources and NioCorp are advancing projects that have yet to reach commercial production.

Securing rare earth supply requires more than mining the ore. Processing, separation, and manufacturing capacity will also determine how much of the supply chain can be established outside China. The company developments and project details in this article are based on information reported by American News Group in its September 22, 2026, PR Newswire release.