11/08/2024

IME Applauds DOD Award to Construct Domestic TNT Production Facility

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Defense (Army) announced today the awarding of a contract to construct and operate a TNT production facility in the United States to Repkon USA. This facility located in Graham, Kentucky, will be the first domestic TNT production facility to operate in the U.S. in more than 30 years.

The U.S. currently relies entirely on imports of TNT from countries like Poland, Turkey, India, and South Korea. Russia and China are also major TNT producers, but due to current geopolitical tensions, imports from these nations are either banned outright or heavily restricted. These geopolitical challenges have further strained global TNT supplies, posing significant national security risks for the U.S. and its allies.

“IME applauds DOD for awarding this contract for the construction and operation of a TNT production facility in the United States,” said Clark Mica, president of the Institute of Makers of Explosives. “This is an important step forward for both our national and economic security that will help reduce our reliance on foreign sources and create a reliable domestic supply of TNT.”

In the commercial explosives industry, TNT is a key raw material for producing cast boosters, a commercial explosive product which is widely used in the $121.7 billion mining industry and the $2.2 trillion quarry and construction industries. Without these products, essential infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, tunnels and pipelines - would be severely hampered.

“A reliable domestic supply of TNT is vital for the commercial explosives industry. Whether it is the critical minerals used to make the mobile devices we use to communicate, the aggregates to pave the roads we travel on, or the materials used to construct our homes and office buildings, commercial explosives help make our modern way of life possible,” Mica concluded.

The U.S. commercial explosives industry employs more than 15,500 workers and supports more than 60,000 jobs that contribute $19.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

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