Behind the rolling plains and rocky outcrops of southwestern Oklahoma, a quiet transformation is unfolding. Westwin Elements has set up in Lawton what stands as the only nickel refining machine in the United States. This two-story warehouse may lack the flair of high-tech labs, but inside it holds tremendous promise, an American-made nickel source at a time when the nation is eager to reduce its outsized reliance on Chinese metals.
Support from the state and federal levels shows this isn’t a mere experiment. Westwin aims to scale from producing about 200 tons of refined nickel annually to 34,000 tons by 2030. That would cover roughly one-tenth of U.S. nickel demand. The plant will use imports of ore from Turkey and Indonesia, but also recycled nickel from old electric vehicle batteries. Success here would mark the start of a broader pivot for Oklahoma, with ripple effects across energy transition, national security, and domestic supply chains.
In Muskogee, Stardust Power is building what is likely the country’s largest lithium refinery. Set to process up to 50,000 metric tons of lithium annually, about twenty percent of projected future U.S. needs, it aims to draw on wind-generated power and use brine-based processing instead of conventional rock-crushing methods. Meanwhile, USA Rare Earth is laying the groundwork for a magnet plant capable of supplying rare-earth magnets for electric vehicles and data center technologies.
Behind these efforts lies a broader vision. Oklahoma, long recognized for its contributions to domestic energy, oil wells, natural gas fields, pipelines, is now positioning itself to also serve as a homegrown source of energy transition metals. This shift challenges global supply chains heavily skewed toward China, which currently dominates rare earths and battery material refinement. Yet incentives at state and federal level, political will, and corporate commitment are steps toward bringing the entire critical minerals value chain back to the contiguous U.S.
Strategic Backdrop and State Advantages
One question often arises: Why Oklahoma? The answer blends a legacy of natural resource extraction with a geography that offers logistical promise. The state is in the heart of North America, crisscrossed by railways and roadways connecting it to all three coasts. It also sits within reach of the Mississippi River shipping system. For firms shipping both inbound ores and outbound refined metals, this matters. An inland port operation near Lawton and Muskogee offers further freight flexibility.
Moreover, Oklahoma’s labor market features a mix of skills essential for metals production, chemists, engineers, pipeline experts, drawn from an energy economy deeply familiar with upstream oil and gas. The workforce understands containment systems, hazardous materials, and complex processing lines.
Beyond talent and logistics, Oklahoma’s political environment is unusually open. Incentives include tax rebates and the promise of speedy regulatory approvals. Governor Kevin Stitt likes to say the state is “one phone call,” a nod to how readily officials say they can connect investors with support programs, permitting agencies, or the governor’s office itself.
And investors say they appreciate it. New companies, like Australia’s MLB Industrial, which makes lithium-ion batteries for locomotives, expanded into Oklahoma earlier this year in part because they were treated like valued partners, even without enormous upfront guarantees. Westwin itself lobbied for the 45X federal production tax credit aimed at refining, arguing it must be protected or else the economics of U.S.-based nickel will fall apart.
Even if the supply of locally mined critical minerals remains minimal, the ability to draw and process ore material domestically still puts Oklahoma in play. The emphasis is on vertical integration, bringing refinement and recycling home rather than relying on exporting the raw product overseas for processing.
Traditional players from the fossil fuel world are also taking notice. Chevron, after acquiring a rare earth startup last year, introduced itself into Oklahoma’s lithium landscape by buying brine rights in nearby states.
USA Rare Earth and Stardust Power have secured preliminary contracts with AI data center users and automakers. One signed agreement with Japanese metals giant Sumitomo guarantees up to half of Stardust’s output. Strategically, Pentagon officials are reviewing nickel supply deals to keep those materials on U.S. soil for advanced munitions, drones, and secure supply chains.
These efforts have given Oklahoma the most diverse suite of critical minerals projects currently under way in any state. The timeline matters: as early as next year some of these facilities may begin shipping. Unlike gas pipelines, which take years to build, refining plants can move from concept to first output much faster, even accounting for training and permitting.
Of course, not everything is smooth sailing. Tesla supplier Panasonic once set up shop in Oklahoma only to choose Kansas due to bigger incentives. EV company Canoo went bankrupt after setting up two plants locally. Critics also point to Oklahoma’s flaws, a weak public school system, financial struggles, and a four-day instructional week in many districts. Repelling educated young families and skilled workers remains a hurdle, as does convincing partners that facilities will find long-term local talent pipelines.
Still, some point to promise signals. Google, which built a data center in Pryor, recently donated to local school systems. State legislators are debating voucher policies and increasing school choice. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s refining climate is drawing bigger and bigger metal players, a trend that, over time, could help lure educational and social investment upstream.
Why it Matters Beyond State Lines
Oklahoma’s shift carries light-speed significance considering global context. China currently refines the vast majority of rare earths, nickel, lithium, and battery chemicals. If Oklahoma’s plants succeed, they may help chip away at that dominance, lowering isolation risk from geopolitically tense, battery-hungry blocs.
That’s not just economic. In a crisis, the first country to lose energy or hardware advantage is the one most globally dependent. Westwin’s plant, for instance, could supply U.S.-based auto battery plants and weapons parts within days, not months, if overseas routes go cold. Rare earth magnets are essential parts in jet engines, wind turbines, and robotics. Domestic supply may help buffer future shortages.
The energy policy debate has matured as well. Top policymakers increasingly see strategic minerals like nickel and lithium as a logical next pillar in national security, on par with oil and gas a generation ago. Earlier this year Oklahoma’s entire Congressional delegation supported new critical mineral tax credit legislation. Washington battles are underway to retain or expand those credits beyond their 2025 expiration date.
But how high will incentives need to go? And for how long? As commodity cycles shift, with lithium prices down sharply after COVID-era peaks, for instance, companies worry about viability when federal credits wane. Oklahoma’s governor has said he will push Washington to require Pentagon or federal agencies to purchase supplied critical minerals made domestically. Buyers’ guarantee could ease volatility and help plants survive little price dips.
A New Chapter for the Heartland
When Oklahoma’s oil story began in the early 20th century, it powered America’s rise and simultaneously shaped its communities. Towns grew around wellheads and refinery stacks. Today, that story is being repurposed for a high-tech era, where metal alloys and mineral chemicals replace crude oil at the center.
Westwin, Stardust, USA Rare Earth and others are doing more than building factories. They are setting into motion a revival of domestic processing capacity, offering an answer to national ambitions, not just corporate profits. Their success or failure will reverberate far beyond state lines. Permit delays, education deficits, or policies that shift could stall progress. But momentum is building and federal officials are watching.
If Oklahoma succeeds, it could become the swing state in America’s strategy to rebuild its supply chains. Not for elections, but for the materials that power drones, EVs, rockets, data centers and military gear. Its first steps into critical minerals could be remembered in fifty years as a second frontier, the one that helped the United States compete in a resource-driven global economy.
But it starts here and now, under those warehouse rooftops in Lawton, where nickel is being refined again for the first time in a generation. That act alone tells the story: it is possible to bring strategic supply chains back to American soil, with speed, efficiency, energy, and yes, as energy experts would note with a fiercely independent, American character.
