The United States is expanding efforts to build a more integrated critical minerals supply chain, with new investments focused on domestic mining, processing, refining, and manufacturing.
A major South Korean-led refining project in Tennessee is gaining attention as part of this strategy, supported by a planned $7.4 billion investment and federal backing. The facility is designed to process multiple nonferrous metals through an integrated system, including several minerals classified as critical to advanced manufacturing.
The project is expected to produce 12 metals, including zinc, lead, copper, silver, antimony, indium, bismuth, tellurium, palladium, gallium, and germanium. These materials are important inputs for semiconductors, batteries, telecommunications, energy technologies, and defense-related manufacturing.
By combining processing and refining capabilities in one location, the initiative could strengthen supply chain coordination and improve access to strategically important materials. It also creates opportunities for deeper cooperation between the United States and South Korea across critical minerals, processing technology, and advanced manufacturing.
The project will draw on established refining expertise, existing infrastructure, local employment, and feedstock networks. Plans also include processing approximately 620,000 tons of accumulated smelting byproducts, supporting greater resource recovery and more efficient use of available materials.
The facility has received federal FAST-41 designation, a framework intended to coordinate and streamline permitting for major infrastructure projects. The initiative reflects a broader shift toward developing integrated and diversified critical mineral supply chains to support the next generation of manufacturing and technology.
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