LS Cable & System (LS C&S) plans to expand its U.S. operations with a $689 million investment in Chesapeake, Virginia, to add three advanced manufacturing projects tied to strategic materials and electrification.

A press release said that the new projects include a rare-earth magnet plant that would use refined rare-earth oxides sourced from countries such as Vietnam and Australia that would be processed into metallic materials and magnets in the U.S. These new investments build on the company’s flagship U.S. energy‑infrastructure project, also in Chesapeake.

LS GreenLink USA will produce high‑voltage submarine and land power cables for offshore wind and grid projects, with operations starting in 2027. Together, LS GreenLink USA and the new Chesapeake projects are intended to strengthen the U.S. clean‑energy and mobility supply chains while anchoring LS C&S’s long‑term manufacturing strategy in the American market.

“The LS GreenLink project has been a major commitment for LS C&S, and this new investment builds directly on that foundation,” said Gisu Kim, regional president of North America LS C&S. “It strengthens domestic production of critical components such as copper rod, magnet wire, and rare-earth magnets, vital to reinforcing supply chain resilience and advancing U.S. energy independence.

Rare-earth magnets are crucial components and China today accounts for a very high share of global production, with limited manufacturing capacity in the U.S. LS C&S has stated that the Chesapeake projects, including the rare-earth magnet initiative, would serve as a new growth engine by extending its cable-focused business into high-value strategic materials and by reinforcing its role in the global mobility and energy-transition supply chains.

The company is also reviewing plans to produce fine wire and high-grade copper materials in the U.S. LS C&S reports that it has already supplied fine wire to companies such as General Motors and Hyundai Motor Group.