North American Magnesium Industry Resource Development, Technology Breakthroughs and Commercialization Advance Hand in Hand [SMM survey]

Published: Jul 23, 2026 15:36

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[SMM Magnesium Survey: North American Magnesium Industry Resource Development, Technological Breakthroughs, and Commercialization Advancing Together] Element One is advancing a magnesium mine project in Washington State, aiming to fill the gap in North America’s domestic processing capacity, reduce dependence on overseas supply chains, and provide a secure, low-carbon regional magnesium supply for national defense, aviation, automotive, and other industries. Estes has launched the Levius™ full-stack magnesium processing platform and achieved commercial shipments of the Magnus™ battery system, which has an energy density of over 225 Wh/kg (a 30% increase). The platform, compatible with automotive manufacturing cycle times, is scaling up to fulfill contracts for rail, maritime, and road customers, expanding magnesium into high-end electrification applications.

Element One Advances Washington State Magnesium Mine Project, Supporting North American Critical Mineral Supply Chain Localization

Element One Hydrogen & Critical Minerals Corp. is advancing its strategic magnesium mine project in Washington State, aiming to provide a secure, traceable, and low-carbon source of magnesium for the North American market. This initiative directly responds to the goals of both the US and Canadian governments to reduce reliance on critical mineral supply chains outside China. The project focuses on addressing the gap in North America's processing capacity for magnesium, a critical strategic mineral for national defense, aviation, automotive, and other sectors. It seeks to mitigate supply chain risks arising from geopolitical and trade restrictions by developing regional capacity to support domestic industrial competitiveness and long-term supply security.

Estes Launches Levius™ Full-Stack Magnesium Processing Platform, Magnesium Battery System Begins Commercial Shipments

US-based Estes recently unveiled the Levius™ platform, an integrated processing technology stack specifically developed to overcome obstacles related to corrosion, flammability, and manufacturability of magnesium in electrification applications. The stack encompasses flame-retardant magnesium alloys, large-format semi-solid casting, and an ultra-energy-efficient coating process. The company simultaneously announced the first commercial shipment and client delivery of its flagship Magnus™ battery system, which achieves an energy density of over 225 Wh/kg (peak 375 Wh/L), a 30% improvement over comparable products and is adaptable to exceed 280 Wh/kg when paired with silicon-rich batteries. The Levius platform can process end-to-end parts exceeding 2 meters in length and 25 kg in mass, with a throughput of one part per minute, compatible with automotive manufacturing cycles. Estes stated that while magnesium's potential as the lightest structural metal has been recognized for decades, the current focus is on scaling production to fulfill signed contracts with clients in rail, marine, and road transport, establishing magnesium as a foundational material for next-generation electrification systems.

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