A recent public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of War and MP Materials aims to increase domestic rare earth and magnet production, and Northlake is a finalist for the new plant.
The materials are used in vehicles, robotics, electronics, the energy industry and aerospace and defense products like the F-35 fighter jet.
According to Matt Sloustcher, the EVP of corporate affairs and chief communications officer at MP Materials, the July partnership between the company and the U.S. Dept. of War made plans for a new-generation manufacturing facility to ’10X’ rare earth magnet production capacity in the United States.
“This initiative is critical to accelerating American supply chain independence for rare earth magnets that power both defense and commercial technologies,” he said.
According to the Northlake Town Council agenda for its Jan. 22 meeting, the council will consider approval of a tax abatement agreement for MP 10X Development, an entity associated with MP Materials.
“Northlake is among the finalist communities being considered for this long-term strategic investment,” said Sloustcher. “No final decisions have been made at this time. We remain committed to working collaboratively with stakeholders to strengthen domestic producing to secure critical supply chains for the future.”
The $1.2 billion Northlake plant, if built, would join the Fort Worth MP Materials, which broke ground in April 2022 and opened in 2023.
Both plants will convert those rare earth oxides into alloys and magnets.
According to a press release from MP Materials, the Fort Worth plant created approximately 150 skilled jobs and approximately 1,300 indirect jobs.
Northlake Mayor Brian Montini said on social media the plant is exactly what Town Council has in mind when it comes to bringing jobs to Northlake.
“Council has been working hard to bring quality jobs and economic development to our town,” he said. “This will be a game changer for securing our low tax rate for years to come through consistent leadership and thoughtful policies, making Northlake a very attractive place to do business.”
The Town’s agenda described the area where the plant would be built as “north of Victory Circle and Dale Earnhardt Drive” and “generally located near Harmonson Road and FM 156.”
Based on Denton County’s map of land surveys, it is expected to go somewhere northwest of Texas Motor Speedway.
President Donald Trump has been adamant about increasing domestic rare earth material production as a way to decrease dependence on foreign suppliers.
According to a report from the United States Geological Survey, China made up 70% of the United States’ rare earth imports from 2020-2023.
Japan, Malaysia and Estonia also imported to the U.S. at a much lower rate.
The survey showed the U.S. produced 45,000 tons of rare-earth-oxide (REO) in 2024, which is all produced by MP Materials.
In comparison, China produced 270,000 tons.
The global total of mined tons of REO in 2024 was 390,000.
In March 2025, Trump officially gave then-Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy the responsibility to identify areas for production and development of rare earth materials.
