CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A new private business partnership investing $150 million in rare earth mineral development will be announced Wednesday in Greenbrier County, marking one of the largest privately funded mineral projects in recent state history.
Secretary of State Kris Warner will join company leaders at a press conference in Rupert to welcome the venture, which will use a patented process to extract rare earth minerals from millions of tons of coal tailings and coal slurry at permitted mine disposal sites. The project will begin in Greenbrier County and expand to other parts of West Virginia and neighboring states.
“What makes this announcement so remarkable is not only the size of the investment, but what it represents,” Warner said. “This project is funded primarily through private investments. No state government subsidies. No state taxpayer funding. No state incentives. Investors have looked at West Virginia, studied our natural resources, recognized the value of our workforce, and concluded that this is the right place to put $150 million to work.”
The partnership includes Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Company of Rupert; Flash Metals USA, Inc. of Houston; and AmForge Corporation of Washington, D.C. Together, the companies bring expertise in resource development, advanced processing technologies and access to one of the nation’s largest reserves of Mid‑Vol coking coal.
Rare earth minerals are essential for advanced technologies, national defense systems and modern energy infrastructure. U.S. manufacturers currently rely heavily on foreign sources for these materials, and officials say the new venture represents a significant step toward expanding domestic production.
The project will operate as a hub‑and‑spoke model, with Greenbrier County serving as the central processing hub. When fully operational, the facility is expected to employ nearly 250 people. Officials also plan to announce additional infrastructure and mineral development commitments that will support expansion of the model across West Virginia.
In addition, mineral offtake agreements with suppliers in Greenland, Canada and Cameroon will allow the facility to process critical minerals from international sources alongside materials extracted from West Virginia coal tailings.
The press conference held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the offices of Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Company, 4547 Anjean Road in Rupert. Participants will include Secretary of State Kris Warner; Amanda Hale, president and CEO of Greenbrier Smokeless Coal; Drew Horn, chief strategy officer and co‑founder of AmForge; and Steve Ragiel, president and managing director of Flash Metals USA.
