U.S. firm Westwin Elements, operating the country's first major nickel refinery, announced this week it has signed its first binding commercial agreement with Golden Age Free Zone Establishment (FZE), a subsidiary of Apex Group-Turkiye, for the supply of nickel, in a deal estimated at $350 million.
Under the agreement, Oklahoma-based Westwin will supply 2,600 metric tons per annum (tpa) of CarbonylNickel Powder and Class 1 Nickel Briquettes to Golden Age FZE, the company said in a statement earlier this week.
The total estimated value of the contract is approximately $350 million, it added.
"Golden Age FZE will serve as the exclusive distributor and marketing partner for Westwin’s Nickel Powder and Briquettes in Türkiye and will lead the development of the Westwin Elements brand in Türkiye and the broader Turkic republics," the company's statement read.
"This agreement marks the commercial takeoff for Westwin and U.S. nickel refining," said KaLeigh Long, Westwin Elements founder and CEO. “We’re grateful to our team for making it possible and to Golden Age FZE and Apex Group for trusting us to bring American-made nickel to international markets. This is just the beginning of Westwin’s international growth.”
Westwin Elements is building America’s first major nickel refinery, delivering high-purity Class 1 nickel and specialized nickel products for national security and industrial applications, according to the details shared by the company.
A Reuters report on Wednesday cited Westwin's efforts and aim for turning Oklahoma into the epicenter for U.S. critical minerals processing, a sector the country largely abandoned decades ago. It said the state's push into minerals processing "marks an unexpected twist in the country's efforts to wean itself off Chinese rivals who have blocked exports."
U.S President Donald Trump has said he wants to boost domestic production of minerals used across the economy.
Apex Group-Turkiye, founded in 1992, operates internationally in the construction and EPC industries, with a portfolio that includes a 488 megawatt (MW) gas turbine energy plant, shopping malls, housing developments, hospitals and active commodity trading operations.
Golden Age FZE is its wholly owned subsidiary, operating in the fields of energy, construction, real estate, health care and commodities. The group has delivered large-scale infrastructure projects across multiple continents and is actively expanding its strategic partnerships in critical materials and industrial supply chains.
“This agreement marks a landmark development for the powder metallurgy industry in Türkiye and the surrounding regions,” said Serdar Demiryol, a spokesperson for Golden Age FZE.
“Especially with the introduction of a new, specific-quality American-made product to the market, it holds significant importance for Türkiye's robust nickel-plating sector, as well as for small-scale firms manufacturing alloys and specialized automotive parts,” he added.
Nickel is a critical industrial metal used in stainless steel production, electric vehicle (EV) batteries and various alloys. As global industries transition toward decarbonization and clean energy, nickel has gained strategic importance in supply chains.
While stainless steel remains the largest consumer of nickel, the shift toward electric vehicle production is said to be reshaping the demand landscape.
The supply of critical elements was a major point in recent U.S.-China trade talks, as Beijing remains the dominant supplier.
On Monday, G-7 leaders provisionally agreed on a strategy to help protect the supply of critical minerals and bolster their economies, according to a draft statement seen by Reuters.
China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets disrupted supplies needed by automakers, computer chip manufacturers and military contractors around the world.
Last week, Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earth minerals and magnets flow to the U.S.
However, rare earths and other critical minerals remain a source of leverage for Beijing.
