A Colorado-based company wants to expand a pilot magnesium smelter now operating near Cheyenne as part of an effort to decrease the nation’s reliance on imports of the critical mineral, which, among other things, is a key component for electric vehicle batteries.

Big Blue Technologies now produces about 100 to 200 pounds per week in Wyoming. It proposes to “scale up” the pilot plant to produce 100 tons of magnesium annually, making it the largest magnesium metal production facility in North America, according to the company.

The Wyoming Energy Authority has recommended the project for a $1.5 million matching grant from the state to help support it.

The industry typically uses a lot of energy — smelters require considerable heat and historically contribute to fossil fuel emissions — but

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