Engineering giant Wood has been contracted to build the world’s first full-scale production plant for Iron Nitride permanent magnets in Sartell, Minnesota, for client Niron Magnetics. Slated to open in 2027, the facility aims to produce 1,500 tons of magnets annually from abundant iron and nitrogen, creating a resilient, domestic alternative to rare earth-dependent supply chains crucial for EVs, defense, and green tech.
The global shift to electric vehicles and renewable energy is straining the market for powerful permanent magnets, a critical component in everything from electric motors to wind turbines. Today, the strongest of these magnets rely on rare earth elements like neodymium, a market dominated by China and fraught with geopolitical, environmental, and cost volatility. Niron Magnetics’ breakthrough technology circumvents this entirely by synthesizing high-strength magnets from two of the planet’s most common elements: iron and nitrogen. This contract with Wood marks the pivotal scale-up from lab innovation to industrial reality.
“The Sartell Plant 1 project is a game-changer for sustainable magnet production at scale,” said John Day, President of Projects Western Hemisphere at Wood. Having completed the initial design, Wood’s team of over 80 U.S.-based specialists will now execute the full engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) to bring the plant online. “Leveraging our first-of-a-kind scale-up experience,” Day added, “we’re enabling Niron Magnetics to deliver a high-production facility that reduces reliance on rare earths, helps power the future of sustainable energy and mobility, and creates a resilient supply chain for the U.S. economy.”
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The strategic importance of this facility cannot be overstated. By establishing a fully-domestic supply chain, the project directly addresses national security and economic competitiveness concerns. The 1,500-ton annual output will feed magnets into automotive (particularly EV drivetrains), defense systems, industrial motors, and consumer electronics—industries desperate for a stable, ethically sourced, and lower-cost alternative. The use of abundant materials also promises a significantly smaller environmental footprint compared to traditional magnet mining and processing, aligning with the sustainability goals of the very industries it will supply.
For Wood, a global leader in project delivery for energy and materials, this contract underscores its role in enabling next-generation industrial technology. The challenge is not just building a factory but scaling a novel chemical process to commercial volume for the first time, a task requiring deep technical and project management expertise. Success in Sartell, Minnesota, would validate Iron Nitride magnets as a viable, mass-market product and position the United States as a leader in advanced magnet manufacturing.
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When operational in 2027, the Niron Magnetics plant will represent more than just a new manufacturing facility; it will be a foundational piece of modern industrial policy. It promises to decouple strategic industries from volatile rare earth markets, bolster U.S. manufacturing independence, and provide a cleaner material for the clean energy transition itself. This partnership between an innovative materials startup and a seasoned engineering powerhouse is laying the literal groundwork for a more secure and sustainable technological future.
