Hertha Metals has started constructing its first commercial high-purity iron facility in Conroe, Texas, marking the opening of the first modern iron and steel innovation complex in the US.
The new plant, named Hertha Chalyx, is designed to produce around 10,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of steel-grade and magnet-grade high-purity iron combined, primarily targeting the US rare earth magnet manufacturing sector.
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The site is located next to Hertha’s existing Pi100 pilot plant and aims to supply high-purity iron for neodymium-iron-boron magnets, which are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, data centres, robotics and defence systems.
According to the company, roughly 94% of the high-purity iron used for these magnets is currently produced in China.
Hertha Metals said Chalyx will use its single-step process, which allows iron ore and natural gas to be converted in one furnace into either liquid steel or high-purity iron, depending on operational conditions.
The process can use any grade of iron ore, including lower-grade material, and is claimed to yield steel and iron at a 25% lower cost than the traditional blast furnace method, with reduced emissions when using natural gas and further cuts if hydrogen is used.
Hertha Metals CEO and founder Laureen Meroueh said: “Over the last two years, our team has worked relentlessly to prove the promise of our technology through production. With Chalyx, we take the next step: proving the business and demonstrating that our technology can deliver commercially.”
Chalyx is scheduled to begin operations in late 2027, with initial magnet-grade high-purity iron production expected in early 2028.
The facility will use domestic iron ore, mainly from Minnesota’s Iron Range, and natural gas from Texas.
Hertha Metals intends for Chalyx to establish an operational and economic base ahead of a proposed 500,000tpa scale-up.
CV Engineering has been selected as the engineering, procurement and construction partner for the project and will oversee the site’s design and build.
The announcement follows Hertha Metals’ $133.65m Series A funding round last month, which was co-led by Khosla Ventures and Doerr Capital.
