Company to establish first 100 percent recycled titanium metal powder facility in Virginia

IperionX Limited will invest $82.1 million to establish Virginia’s first titanium demonstration facility in Halifax County.

The facility will be the first in the United States to 100 percent recycle titanium metal powder. The Halifax facility will create 108 new jobs in a phased development.

IperionX, a critical minerals company, will develop the project in two phases, according to a press release. The first phase, a $12.5 million investment, will be for building construction and production-related machinery and tools. Phase two, a $69.6 million investment, will provide expansion in three years for initial development.

“We are delighted to have chosen South Boston and Halifax County as the site for our inaugural titanium demonstration facility, which is a critical step in advancing IperionX’s ambition to re-shore an all-American source of titanium metal,” IperionX Founder and CEO Anastasios Arima said in a press release. “We are highly appreciative of the support and welcome that we have received from our partners and stakeholders in Virginia and look forward to establishing IperionX as a leader in advanced manufacturing in our new home.”

At first, the company will occupy the 50,000-square-foot Halifax Shell Building in the Southern Virginia Technology Park and will expand the facility to 100,000 square feet. The company, according to a press release, intends to source 100 percent renewable energy to produce 100 percent recycled titanium to supply advanced industries including automotive, defense, aerospace, electric vehicles and 3D printing.

“We are thrilled to welcome IperionX to the Commonwealth. The new Halifax County operation will represent the first titanium metal powder facility in the U.S. using 100 percent recycled titanium scrap as feedstock, putting Virginia on the map for providing a critical material that is essential for our advanced industries,” Youngkin said in the press release. “We look forward to supporting this forward-thinking company that will develop a new supply chain of titanium right here in the Commonwealth while creating high-quality jobs.”

IperionX’s plan is to develop the facility as a showcase for the intersection of titanium powder production with additive manufacturing and other powder metallurgy applications. IperionX, founded in 2020, plans to be the leading developer of a low-carbon, sustainable, critical material supply chain. Virginia competed with North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia for the project.

“I am proud that Virginia will be home to a state-of-the-art titanium demonstration facility that will shore up domestic supply chains for emerging technology in a forward-thinking, sustainable way while creating jobs and opportunities in Halifax County,” U.S. Sen. Mark Warner said in the press release.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, Halifax County, the Southern Virginia Regional Alliance, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and Virginia Department of Energy worked together to secure the project. Youngkin approved a $300,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Halifax County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved a grant for $573,000 from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund. Funding and services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.