Highlights
- Niron Magnetics secures $10M grant to build a 190,000 sq ft facility in Sartell, MN—the world's first commercial-scale Iron Nitride magnet plant, creating 175 jobs by 2027.
- Iron Nitride magnets use abundant iron and nitrogen instead of Chinese rare earths, potentially disrupting the EV, wind energy, and defense supply chains.
- While promising superior performance, full-scale manufacturing remains unproven—making this facility a critical test of U.S. magnet supply chain independence.
In a move that could reshape America’s magnet manufacturing map, Niron Magnetics has received a $10 million grant from the Minnesota Forward Fund to accelerate construction of its 190,000-square-foot Sartell manufacturing facility—the world’s first commercial-scale plant dedicated to producing Iron Nitride (Fe₁₆N₂) magnets.
The facility, rising from the grounds of the old Verso Paper Mill, is expected to create 175 full-time jobs and begin operations by early 2027. It’s not just a manufacturing story—it’s an industrial resurrection. For a state that once relied on pulp and paper, this new facility signals a turn toward clean-tech and supply-chain resilience.
The Magnetism of the Moment
Niron’s Iron Nitride magnets promise to disrupt China’s chokehold on rare-earth-based permanent magnets—materials critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense systems. Unlike neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets, which rely on rare earths mined and processed primarily in China, Niron’s design uses abundant iron and atmospheric nitrogen.
The claim of “superior magnetic performance” may hold merit: laboratory data from early prototypes show high magnetic saturation and stability at elevated temperatures. Yet, full-scale manufacturing remains unproven. Niron’s Sartell facility will be the first real test of whether Iron Nitride can deliver not just lab-level performance, but industrial reliability at scale.
The Fine Print Between Innovation and Hype
The release from Niron and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is largely factual—but inevitably polished. What’s missing is quantitative proof: flux density benchmarks, cost-per-kilogram data, and validation from large-scale OEM trials. Without these metrics, Niron’s promise is aspirational, not yet transformational. And there could be a ways to go before the mainstream magnet market is ready.
Still, the investment fits a clear national trend. The U.S. is desperate to de-risk magnet supply chains, with China controlling over 90% of the global rare-earth magnet market. Minnesota’s funding, building on a prior $2 million DEED grant, marks a state-level recognition that magnet sovereignty is the next industrial frontier.
REEx View: Iron Will Meets Industrial Policy
Niron’s award is more than a local headline—it’s a blueprint for rebuilding U.S. magnet capacity from the ground up. Whether Iron Nitride becomes the long-sought alternative to rare earths or another promising detour will depend on scale, performance, and market adoption. But make no mistake: this is the kind of risk the West must take to escape dependency on Beijing’s metallic monopoly.
Source: Niron Magnetics Press Release, October 20, 2025.
©!-- /wp:paragraph -->
Why is China not playing around with Niron type magnets/ For that matter why only this company?
Always been our question, why wouldn’t the dominant global sector giant for RE mining, processing, refining and magnet making not look to reduce/write out RE materials from it auto needs?. Maybe the question provides the answer, rather like why is the coal-dominant Dragon building so many coal-powered plants despite its green claims? Again, the answer is in the question.
GLTA – REI
Why is this headline “world’s first rare earth free magnet plant” when ferrite magnets have been around for over 50 years and are manufactured in much greater quantities than rare earths. They are made from the same low cost materials planned for Niron. They are made all over the world. In many applications including motors they compete directly with rare earths. The Chinese have cleverly distracted Western managment into thinking that this is not true.