Westwin Elements
Westwin Elements is the only Class 1 nickel refinery in the United States, operating a demonstration plant in Oklahoma City and developing a commercial-scale carbonyl refining facility in Richmond Hill, Georgia, to supply domestic defense, aerospace, and battery markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersOklahoma City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Westwin Elements does
Westwin Elements is a US-based nickel refining company founded in 2022 and headquartered in Oklahoma City. It operates the only Class 1 nickel refinery in the United States and is the first American company to produce nickel powder via carbonyl refining technology, a process adapted from the Mond process that the company states generates no liquid or solid waste and consumes less energy than conventional nickel refining.
The company's core product is high-purity Class 1 nickel powder for use in defense, aerospace, and lithium-ion battery supply chains. A demonstration plant became operational in Oklahoma City in December 2024, and the company is pursuing a commercial-scale refinery in Richmond Hill, Georgia, supported by an EXIM Bank Letter of Interest for $188.1 million in debt financing and bond financing through the Development Authority of Bryan County. Westwin's business model is anchored on long-term offtake agreements with commodity trading firms; the company has disclosed $1.4 billion in Sales & Purchase Agreements with Traxys (July 2025) and $350 million with Golden Age FZE (June 2025), each spanning seven years, plus feedstock supply arrangements with Brazilian Nickel and Homeland Nickel and a Letter of Intent with Aqua Metals for recycled nickel.
Customer demand is driven by US policy priorities that favor domestic and non-Chinese nickel sources for defense and EV battery applications. The company holds a seat on the CISA Critical Manufacturing Sector Coordinating Council, reflecting federal designation as a strategically important producer. Its commercialization timeline is subject to material execution risk: the company's prior commercial site in Lawton, Oklahoma was abandoned in December 2025, its Richmond Hill zoning approval was contested, and the Oklahoma site is reportedly under EPA review for possible contamination. The founder, KaLeigh Long, is a Forbes Under 30 honoree, and the company operates with 11-50 employees as of the most recent reporting.
Westwin Elements firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Westwin Elements
- Legal name
- Westwin Elements Inc
- Website
- https://www.westwinelements.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Westwin Elements is the only Class 1 nickel refinery in the United States, operating a demonstration plant in Oklahoma City and developing a commercial-scale carbonyl refining facility in Richmond Hill, Georgia, to supply domestic defense, aerospace, and battery markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Westwin Elements industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nickel Refining & Critical Minerals
- NAICS
- Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (331410), Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492)
- SIC
- Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330), Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite) (EUAFABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Metal Melting & Secondary Smelting/Refining (Recycled Feedstock Producers) (EUAIAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Westwin Elements is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oklahoma City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Westwin Elements business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Nickel Product Sales: Direct sales of Class 1 nickel products including carbonyl nickel powder, nickel briquettes, and nickel sulfate to industrial customers in aerospace, defense, EV batteries, and stainless steel sectors through long-term Sales & Purchase Agreements.
- Offtake Agreements: Multi-year Sales & Purchase Agreements for nickel supply and offtake. The company has signed $1.4 billion in agreements with Traxys and $350 million agreement with Golden Age FZE (Apex Group subsidiary).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Westwin Elements product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Westwin Elements is America's only Class 1 nickel refinery, producing high-purity nickel powder (≥99.9% purity), nickel briquettes, and battery-grade nickel sulfate through carbonyl refining technology (the Mond process). The company transforms nickel intermediates such as MHP, HGNM, and black mass into finished Class 1 nickel products for aerospace, defense, EV battery, and stainless steel customers, and sells through long-term Sales & Purchase Agreements.
Product overview
Westwin Elements operates as America's only Class 1 nickel refinery, offering a portfolio of high-purity nickel products. The core offering consists of carbonyl nickel powder (≥ 99.9% purity), nickel briquettes, and nickel sulfate, all produced through the company's carbonyl refining process that transforms nickel intermediates such as mixed hydroxide precipitates (MHP), high-grade nickel matte (HGNM), and black mass into finished metal products. The product line is supported by commercial offtake agreements including $1.4 billion in SPAs with Traxys and a $350 million supply agreement with Golden Age FZE. The demonstration plant in Lawton, Oklahoma serves prospective customers for product qualification while commercial production is being developed.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Carbonyl Nickel Powder High-purity nickel powder (≥99.9% purity) produced using carbonyl refining technology. Available in customized forms including spherical, spiky, and filamentary shapes for aerospace, defense, EV batteries, and stainless steel applications.
- Nickel Briquettes Compact nickel product measuring 1.5in x 1.5in x 0.75in with bulk density of 3.50 gr/cm3, used in metallurgy, chemistry, and stainless steel applications.
- Nickel Sulfate Battery-grade nickel sulfate with nickel content ≥22.0%, produced as green/crystalline form. Used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and electroplating. Integration of dissolution circuit is subject to market demand.
- Carbonyl Refining Process Proprietary metallurgical process that transforms nickel intermediates (MHP, HGNM, black mass) into Class 1 nickel products. The carbonyl circuit generates no liquid or solid waste streams, producing high-purity nickel powder and briquettes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Class 1 nickel production at ≥99.9% purity
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Westwin Elements
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Westwin Elements technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Westwin Elements partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- Homeland NickelcoreWestwin Elements and Homeland Nickel seek to offer a mining to refining solution for American nickel demand, combining nickel extraction with domestic refining capacity.
- Brazilian NickelcoreBrazilian Nickel signed an offtake agreement to supply Westwin Elements with 10,000 tpa of nickel in mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) and 240–400 tpa of cobalt from its Piauí project in Brazil. Westwin will process the MHP into class 1 nickel powder and briquettes for the US battery metals and defense market. The deal supports funding for Brazilian Nickel's Piauí project development.
- Aqua MetalsminorAqua Metals and Westwin Elements signed a non-binding LOI for the supply of up to 1,000 metric tons of recycled nickel carbonate annually, with potential delivery starting in 2027. The agreement aims to establish a domestically produced nickel supply supporting U.S. industrial and battery manufacturing.
- TraxysflagshipWestwin Elements entered into two landmark seven-year Sales & Purchase Agreements (SPAs) with Traxys, a global leader in metals marketing and logistics, totaling $1.4 billion. These agreements position Westwin as a U.S. critical minerals powerhouse.
- Golden Age FZE (Apex Group)flagshipWestwin Elements signed its first binding commercial agreement - a $350 million, seven-year Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA) with Golden Age Free Zone Establishment (FZE), a subsidiary of Apex Group-Turkiye for nickel supply.
- Cameron UniversityminorWestwin Elements signed an MOU with Cameron University to enhance educational experiences and professional development opportunities for students in the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering, fostering a stronger connection between academia and industry.
- University of OklahomacoreWestwin Elements signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma for collaborative research and development efforts in critical minerals refining. The agreement was effective as of February 29, 2024.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Westwin Elements competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Glencore Nikkelverk: Glencore's Nikkelverk refinery in Kristiansand, Norway is one of the world's largest carbonyl nickel refining operations and the closest direct comparable to Westwin, producing Class 1 nickel products using essentially the same Mond carbonyl process for global stainless steel, battery, and plating markets.
- CVMR Corporation: CVMR is a Canada-based mining and refining company specializing in carbonyl and vapor metallurgy for high-purity metals including nickel. It is directly comparable on technology and was previously a partner of Westwin before the relationship deteriorated into dueling lawsuits, making it the closest technology peer.
Broad incumbents
- Vale Base Metals: Vale operates the Sudbury nickel smelter in Canada using carbonyl refining technology historically, and is a globally integrated nickel mining-and-refining incumbent. While Vale is far larger and vertically integrated into mining, it competes with Westwin for U.S. Class 1 nickel customers and IRA-aligned supply chains.
- Nornickel (Norilsk Nickel): Nornickel is the world's largest producer of refined nickel and a major Class 1 nickel refiner with operations in Russia and Finland. As a global nickel giant, it competes for U.S. customer contracts and sets the marginal price floor for Class 1 nickel that Westwin must clear on economics.
- BHP Nickel West: BHP's Nickel West division operates integrated nickel mining, smelting, and refining in Western Australia, including the Kalgoorlie and Kwinana facilities. While BHP announced a temporary suspension of Nickel West operations in 2024, it remains a major incumbent that could re-enter U.S. supply chains as demand for FEOC-compliant nickel grows.
- Eramet: Eramet is a French mining and metallurgical group operating the SLN nickel operations in New Caledonia and the Eramet Indonesia Weda Bay project. As a major integrated nickel producer with refining capability, it competes with Westwin for battery-grade nickel sulfate customers in North America and Europe.
- Sherritt International: Sherritt is a Canadian nickel and cobalt producer using hydrometallurgical laterite processing at its Moa Joint Venture in Cuba. It is comparable to Westwin as a Western-aligned supplier of battery-grade nickel and cobalt intermediates to North American and European markets.
Emerging players
- Talon Metals: Talon Metals is a U.S.-focused nickel-copper exploration and development company advancing the Tamarack project in Minnesota. While pre-refinery, it is directly relevant as a potential domestic feedstock supplier to Westwin's refining capacity and a fellow U.S. critical-minerals play.
- Aqua Metals: Aqua Metals operates a low-emission battery recycling hydrometallurgy platform in Nevada producing nickel carbonate and other battery materials. It has signed an LOI to supply up to 1,000 tpa of recycled nickel carbonate to Westwin, making it both a feedstock partner and a peer in the emerging U.S. circular-nickel ecosystem.
Regional players
- Brazilian Nickel: Brazilian Nickel is developing the Piauí laterite nickel project in Brazil and has signed a 10,000 tpa MHP offtake with Westwin. As both a feedstock supplier and an emerging Class 1 nickel producer in its own right, it is a regional peer with deep operational linkage to Westwin.
Market position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Westwin Elements social profiles
Digital presenceWestwin Elements compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Westwin Elements financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Westwin Elements leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles21 records
Westwin Elements funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Westwin Elements M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Westwin Elements
What does Westwin Elements do?
Westwin Elements is America's only Class 1 nickel refinery, producing high-purity nickel powder (≥99.9% purity), nickel briquettes, and battery-grade nickel sulfate through carbonyl refining technology (the Mond process). The company transforms nickel intermediates such as MHP, HGNM, and black mass into finished Class 1 nickel products for aerospace, defense, EV battery, and stainless steel customers, and sells through long-term Sales & Purchase Agreements.
Is Westwin Elements a public or private company?
Westwin Elements is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Westwin Elements founded?
Westwin Elements was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Westwin Elements based?
Westwin Elements is headquartered in Oklahoma City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Westwin Elements make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Nickel Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are offtake Agreements.
Who are Westwin Elements's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Glencore Nikkelverk and CVMR Corporation. Broad incumbents are Vale Base Metals, Nornickel (Norilsk Nickel), BHP Nickel West, Eramet and Sherritt International. Emerging players are Talon Metals and Aqua Metals. Brazilian Nickel is listed as a regional player.
Does Westwin Elements have an API?
No public API is recorded for Westwin Elements.
What industry is Westwin Elements in?
Westwin Elements's product category is Nickel Refining & Critical Minerals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAFABAA, Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite), with a secondary code of EUAIAJAJ, Metal Melting & Secondary Smelting/Refining (Recycled Feedstock Producers). Its NAICS code is 331410 and its SIC code is 3330.