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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☑						ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

☐						TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________

Commission file number 001-39277

MP MATERIALS CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware						84-4465489
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)						(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

6720 Via Austi Parkway, Suite 450

Las Vegas, Nevada 89119

(702) 844-6111

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class			Trading Symbol(s)			Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value of $0.0001 per share			MP			New York Stock Exchange
Warrants to purchase Common Stock			MPWS			New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer			☐			Accelerated filer			☐			Non-accelerated filer			☑			Smaller reporting company			☑			Emerging growth company			☑

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $344 million. Such aggregate market value was computed by reference to the closing price of the common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2020. As of March 15, 2021, the number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding was 170,738,350.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive 2021 proxy statement, anticipated to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

MP MATERIALS CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

			Page
PART I
Item 1. Business			1
Item 1A. Risk Factors			22
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments			41
Item 2. Properties			41
Item 3. Legal Proceedings			41
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures			41
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities			41
Item 6. Selected Financial Data			41
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			42
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk			60
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data			61
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure			96
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures			96
Item 9B. Other Information			96
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance			96
Item 11. Executive Compensation			97
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters			97
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence			97
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services			97
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules			97
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary			99
Signatures			100

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 (this “Annual Report”), that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements under Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the words such as “ estimate,” “plan,” “shall,” “may,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target,” or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this Annual Report, and on the current expectations of our management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by any investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond our control.

These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including:

• unanticipated costs or delays associated with our Stage II optimization project;

• uncertainties relating to our commercial arrangements with Shenghe Resources (Singapore) International Trading Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Shenghe Resources Holding Co., Ltd., a global rare earth company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange;

• the ability to convert current commercial discussions with customers for the sale of rare earth oxide products into contracts;

• potential changes in China’s political environment and policies;

• fluctuations in demand for, and prices of, rare earth minerals and products;

• uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic;

• the intense competition within the rare earths mining and processing industry;

• uncertainties regarding the growth of existing and emerging uses for rare earth products;

• potential power shortages at the Mountain Pass facility;

• increasing costs or limited access to raw materials that may adversely affect our profitability;

• fluctuations in transportation costs or disruptions in transportation services;

• inability to meet individual customer specifications;

• diminished access to water;

• uncertainty in our estimates of rare earth oxide reserves;

• uncertainties regarding our ability to vertically integrate into further downstream processing and reach full revenue potential;

• risks associated with work stoppages;

• a shortage of skilled technicians and engineers;

• loss of key personnel;

• risks associated with the inherent dangers involved in mining activity;

• risks associated with events outside of our control, such as natural disasters, wars or health epidemics or pandemics;

• risks related to technology systems and security breaches;

• risks associated with our intellectual property rights;

• ability to compete with substitutions for rare earth minerals;

• ability to maintain satisfactory labor relations;

• risks relating to extensive and costly environmental regulatory requirements; and

• those factors discussed within “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.

If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements.

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These and other factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report are more fully described within “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors.” The risks described within “Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report are not exhaustive. Other sections of this Annual Report describe additional factors that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. We undertake no obligations to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

In addition, statements of belief and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us, as applicable, as of the date of this Annual Report, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

iii

PART I