The company plans a $1.2 billion rare earth and magnet manufacturing plant in Blacksburg that is expected to create about 490 jobs.
Based on a release from S.C. Dept. of Commerce.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — USA Rare Earth, Inc. has selected Cherokee County for its first South Carolina operation, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce.
The project represents a total investment of approximately $1.2 billion and is expected to create about 490 new jobs, according to the department.
The new facility will be located at Bailey Park in Blacksburg and will produce neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets and refined rare earth metals, according to Commerce. The campus will perform functions including electrolysis, metallothermic reduction, strip casting, jet milling, dry pressing, sintering, heat treatment, machining and coating, the department said.
Operations are expected to be online in April 2028, according to Commerce.
USA Rare Earth has operations in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, and has a planned acquisition of a rare earth mine in Brazil, according to the department. The company is building a rare earth and permanent magnet value chain to serve commercial and defense manufacturing, Commerce said.
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project, according to the department.
“Cherokee County is the next critical link in the rare earth and magnet value chain we’re building across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and around the globe. South Carolina offered the workforce, the infrastructure and the partners we needed to move quickly. With this investment, we’re bringing home the advanced manufacturing capabilities that America and its allies depend on, from the factory floor to the front lines,” USA Rare Earth CEO Barbara Humpton said, according to Commerce.
“South Carolina continues to attract investments that strengthen our economy and create meaningful opportunities for our people. USA Rare Earth’s $1.2 billion investment and the creation of approximately 490 new jobs will have a significant impact on Cherokee County and reinforce our state’s position as a leader in American manufacturing,” Gov. Henry McMaster said, according to the department.
Individuals interested in joining the company are directed to USA Rare Earth’s careers page, according to Commerce.
