South Carolina Construction News staff writer
USA Rare Earth has broken ground on an approximately $1.2-billion rare earth metal and magnet manufacturing facility in Blacksburg, S.C., that is expected to create about 490 jobs. The 800,000-square-foot facility is being built on a 124-acre site in Bailey Industrial Park in Cherokee County. Commissioning is targeted to begin in 2028.
Clark Construction Group and Frampton Construction are serving as design-builder through a joint venture, while Trammell Crow Company is the developer.
McMillan Pazdan Smith is serving as project architect, working with Bennett & Pless, Thomas & Hutton and Salas O’Brien. Chang Robotics is providing expertise in advanced manufacturing, automation and robotics.
Once operational, the facility is expected to have annual production capacity of 6,400 tonnes of sintered neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets and 5,000 tonnes of strip-cast metal and alloy.
The company said it selected Blacksburg after evaluating nearly 275 potential sites across the United States. Factors included the region’s advanced manufacturing workforce, power supply, transportation infrastructure and proximity to customers and suppliers.
The facility will be located along the Interstate 85 corridor, which has developed into a major manufacturing centre in South Carolina’s Upstate.
“Breaking ground in Blacksburg is an important moment because it moves our vision from plans on paper to infrastructure taking shape,” said Barbara Humpton, CEO of USA Rare Earth. “We’re building the capabilities America needs to make critical rare earth materials and magnets at home.”
As part of its investment in the region, USA Rare Earth is contributing $250,000 to Spartanburg Community College to support its new SPARK Center in Cherokee County. The centre will provide education, workforce development and economic development resources for businesses and workers in the area.
USA Rare Earth said the Blacksburg facility is part of a broader strategy to establish an integrated rare earth supply chain covering mining and processing through separation, metal and alloy production and permanent magnet manufacturing.
Rare earth metals and permanent magnets are used in a range of industries, including defence, aerospace, semiconductors, electric mobility, energy and healthcare.
The company is also operating a magnet manufacturing facility in Stillwater, Okla., where it commissioned its first commercial production line earlier this year. USA Rare Earth said Blacksburg and a planned Stillwater expansion are expected to provide a combined 10,000 tonnes per year of domestic NdFeB magnet manufacturing capacity.
“Blacksburg adds critical manufacturing capacity to that broader platform and brings the United States closer to producing more of the materials and magnets our industries depend on outside of Chinese control,” said Gregory Bowman, chief global policy officer at USA Rare Earth.
USA Rare Earth said the project is intended to strengthen domestic production of rare earth materials and magnets while supporting manufacturing and workforce development in South Carolina.
