Why did Queensland, Australia-based MLB Industrial, a maker of lithium-ion batteries and industrial energy storage products, pick Oklahoma for its first U.S. operation? Being in the state that’s rapidly becoming a critical minerals hub is the obvious answer. Another is critical minerals’ increasingly important role in aerospace and defense — Oklahoma’s fastest growing industry. But there’s more to it.
“We needed a state that was business-friendly,” said CEO Nathan Leech. “We spoke to a few other states, and we didn’t get the response and the understanding of what our business needs were. We needed a location that was good logistically, had a talent pool, and we needed people we could talk to that would help us out on our journey as a young company, and Oklahoma ticked all the boxes.”
MLB Industrial is partnering with EV Battery Solutions of Cox Automotive, a provider of EV battery storage, diagnostics, repair and recycling at its main EV service facility in Oklahoma City. The company joins a growing list of critical minerals companies active in the Sooner State across a range of specialties from mining to mineral refining to recycling.
“As the need for critical minerals grows, it’s more important than ever that we secure that supply chain,” said Governor Kevin Stitt on a trade mission to South Korea in December 2024. “Oklahoma is quickly becoming the critical minerals headquarters in the United States, and I’m proud we have the business and regulatory environment to make that possible.”
Emirates Invests in a Shiny New Facility
A $4 billion aluminum production plant announced by Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) in May is part of the more than $13.7 billion in capital investment Oklahoma had attracted in 2025 as of August. Much of the rest of that figure is thanks to Google’s August announcement that it will invest $9 billion in the state over the next two years in cloud and AI infrastructure. The company says this investment supports “the development of a new data center campus in Stillwater and the expansion of our existing facility in Pryor, as well as expanded education and workforce development programs.”
CBC USA, a division of CBC Global Ammunition, is building a $300 million ammunition production facility at the MidAmerica Industrial Park in northeast Oklahoma.
Photos courtesy of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce
EGA’s 1,000-jobs aluminum facility will be located on more than 350 acres at the Tulsa Port of Inola, a 2,200-acre industrial park with access to rail, barge transportation and global waterways, according to a release. Once complete, the facility will be the largest of its kind in the U.S., producing billets, sheet ingots, high-purity aluminum and foundry alloys.
“The United States has been an important market for EGA for several decades, and we know there is strong demand for our high-quality metal made in America,” said EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, at the project announcement. “EGA has the skills, technology and capital to start rebuilding this great American industry, and in Oklahoma I am confident we will secure the right conditions to do so. This is an important moment for EGA, and for the economic relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates.”
John Budd, CEO, Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
John Budd, CEO of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, says the Port of Inola was a game-changing factor in the Sooner State winning the project. “Bauxite is converted into alumina, and alumina is converted into aluminum,” he explains. “Bauxite is found around the world mostly around the equator. Aluminum generally starts with an import, and having the ability to ship that in via water and to have easy distribution out of Oklahoma or to other manufacturers in the state was really critical.
“The company liked the site itself in the Port of Inola. They were comfortable that their power needs would be met,” adds Budd. “We have an energy partner here that was able to convey their ability to deliver their power needs when the plant is up and running. It was a combination of logistical advantages, power needs, a great site and overall lower cost of doing business.”
Ammo Makers Pick the Sooner State
Those same factors were behind other projects announced in Oklahoma in 2025, including two in the firearms and ammunition industry. In May, CBC, a world leader in ammunition for portable weapons, announced a new, $300 million facility at the MidAmerica Industrial Park in northeast Oklahoma. CBC USA will be the company’s ammunition manufacturing plant that will employ 350 when operational.
“This facility will be a cornerstone for our future growth in the world’s most important market for small caliber ammunition,” said Fabio Mazzaro, president of CBC and board member of CBC Global Ammunition, in a company announcement. “With in-house production of all components, propellant and critical energetic raw materials, we envisage to build an industry-leading and fully vertically integrated company. We believe that the region’s supportive business environment makes Oklahoma an ideal location for CBC USA”.
“Oklahoma is quickly becoming the critical minerals headquarters in the United States, and I’m proud we have the business and regulatory environment to make that possible.”
— Kevin Stitt, Governor of Oklahoma
Vudoo Gun Works has recently relocated its headquarters and manufacturing operations to an existing facility in Prague, 50 miles east of Oklahoma City, from Utah. “This move reflects our dedication to innovation, growth and customer service,” said Jacob Herman, CEO. “Oklahoma is a pro-Second Amendment state where elected officials actively support the Second Amendment, making it an ideal location for Vudoo Gun Works.”
Oklahoma’s legislature in 2025 took steps to make the state competitive for all industries doing business in the state, notes John Budd. “It created business courts, which is a fast-track approach to handling business disputes or legal matters. And legislation was passed that allows for behind-the-meter energy developments. It takes time to get new power generation online. Behind-the-meter allows non-utilities to build their own power generation off the grid which could help a business get up and running more quickly, working with a third party to do that. This helps us compete for projects.”
Budd also credits the legislature for authorizing the Reindustrialize Oklahoma Act, which was a catalyst for Oklahoma winning the EGA project. It’s an investment rebate program administered by the Department of Commerce open to manufacturers investing at least $2 billion and creating 700 new jobs in the first year, increasing to 1,000 in the second year and beyond, through July 1, 2045.
“Data shows we are the lowest cost state to do business in, and we are a very business-friendly state that’s focused on reducing red tape,” Budd notes. “Our central location is huge for us. We have the furthest inland ice-free port in North America, 4,000 miles of rail, major Interstates so you can get to the coasts for distribution in a couple days.”
Oklahoma’s quality of life and low costs of living and doing business will appeal to more critical minerals companies going forward, Budd predicts, as they already have in aerospace, energy and other key industries. “We’re aiming to be the critical minerals hub for the United States when it comes to onshoring and streamlining those supply chains.”
This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. For more information, visit okcommerce.gov.
