Important step to build a scalable technical model and garner data to deploy technology commercially to support the manufacturing of virtually all of America’s key defense platforms
Implementing technical initiatives to further improve cost and environmental efficiencies of proven technology
Technology enables American companies to secure a reliable critical mineral supply to counter trade policies and export controls
Magrathea (“Magrathea” or the “Company”), a technology company that produces magnesium metal from seawater, today announced the launch of its next-generation magnesium chloride electrolyzer, a machine that uses electricity to split magnesium salts to make magnesium metal, at its pilot facility in Oakland, California. This milestone is a crucial step to advance the technical and data framework for a future scaled plant. Additionally, the project strategically positions Magrathea’s technology to provide American companies with access to U.S.-based critical mineral supply chains amid shifting trade policies and export controls.
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Magnesium metal made with Magrathea's technology
“Magnesium is one of the most important critical materials, but NATO countries face a dire shortage of non-China supply,” Alex Grant, CEO of Magrathea, said. “Western nations must view this supply crisis as a national security emergency.”
“At our core, Magrathea’s innovative technology revitalizes a proven process with our own twist for considerable efficiency improvement and expense reduction,” Mr. Grant continued. “We expect to reduce the technology’s operating expenses to make it cost-competitive with alternative production methods that exist today, including in China. Magrathea is in conversations with several major defense, chemical and mining industrial players to form a strategic partnership to scale up our technology as the first new commercial-scale magnesium electrolyzer in the United States in the past 50 years.”
Over the coming months, Magrathea will use data gathered from the pilot-scale electrolyzer to create a scalable technical model aimed at achieving the highest efficiencies from both environmental and economic perspectives. The Company will focus on obtaining process data, minimizing total electricity use, recycling energy in strategic ways and optimizing the dehydration process, which offers the biggest opportunity for cost reduction in the electrolytic magnesium metal production process. These technical efforts are expected to significantly reduce the carbon footprint and operating expenditure of future commercial plants. The data and key processing learnings are also expected to help streamline permitting processes for future facilities given the inherent environmental benefits of the technology.
Magrathea and Magnesium Highlights
- The “Gateway Metal”: Magnesium unlocks a wide range of applications, such as stiffening aluminum in alloys, steel making, nuclear inputs, automotive, aerospace, and next-generation defense applications.
- Solving a National Security Emergency: Russia and China currently control 90% of the global primary magnesium supply with no significant producer in any NATO country.
- First Mover Advantage: Magrathea is the most advanced new producer of magnesium metal with significant intellectual property including patents and trade secrets.
- Existing Operations: Magrathea’s operational pilot plant in California can produce 4,000 pounds of magnesium annually at full capacity.
- Low Operational Expense: Magrathea’s technology demonstrates competitive operating costs, leveraging abundantly available seawater and renewable energy as feedstock.
- Carbon Neutral: Technology produces 0 kg CO2 eq./kg magnesium compared to over 40 kg CO2 eq./kg magnesium with the incumbent Chinese process, which is expected to further streamline permitting processes for future scaled facilities.
- Scalable to Meet Demand: Magrathea – in partnership with a strategic partner – plans to deploy its technology at a scaled facility by 2027 to produce up to 2 million pounds of magnesium per year, enough to support the equivalent production of thousands of Black Hawk helicopters annually.
- Significant Commercial Traction: Magrathea has signed agreements with more than 25 companies, including 10 connected to the U.S. defense industry, an offtake agreement with a global automaker, and a resource supply agreement with Cargill.
- Additional Market Opportunities: In addition to magnesium, Magrathea produces chloride co-products, which have a wide range of end-markets such as bleach, to unlock more value and improve project economics.
- Strong Engineering Partnership: Magrathea is collaborating with Sedgman Novopro, an engineering firm specialized in mining and mineral processing, to support its scale-up engineering and design program.
- Backed By Marquee Investors: Technology is backed by credible investors, including the U.S. Department of Defense, Capricorn, VoLo Earth, Exor Ventures, Sam Altman, and leaders at Glencore, Mitra Chem, Tesla, and many more.
About Magrathea
Magrathea is a technology company based in California that has developed a process for making magnesium metal from seawater and brines to help the West solve its magnesium shortage. Magnesium is essential for a wide range of applications such as stiffening aluminum in alloys, steel making, inputs for nuclear applications, automotive, aerospace, and next-generation defense applications. The company’s technology is expected to be the largest primary production solution across NATO countries by 2030. For more information, please visit https://www.magratheametals.com/.
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