On October 8, 2026, Hertha Metals broke ground on Chalyx, a high-purity iron and steel plant in Conroe, Texas. In its first phase, Chalyx will produce 10,000 tonnes per year of 99.95% pure iron for magnet makers. The plant is expected to come online in late 2027, with production starting in early 2028. Hertha expects this to supply about 30% of US permanent magnet demand for high-purity iron. Iron makes up about 70% of neodymium-iron-boron magnets, which are used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, data centers, robotics and defense systems.
The article frames the project as a supply-chain story. CEO Dr. Laureen Meroueh notes that China supplies about 94% of the world’s permanent magnets, and she describes Hertha as “the last missing piece” in the US rare earth magnet supply chain.
Chalyx is also the proving ground for Hertha’s next step, a planned 500,000-tonne-per-year steel mill that would use iron ore mainly from Minnesota and natural gas from Texas. Construction on the mill will begin once Chalyx proves itself commercially. Meroueh says the mill could make electrical steel and basic rebar.