Oct 23 (Reuters) - Investment firm Orion Resource

Partners LP said on Thursday it had launched the Orion critical

mineral consortium, aimed at strengthening secure and

sustainable supply chains for critical minerals in the United

States.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corp made an

initial capital commitment, matched by both funds managed by

Orion and ADQ, to take the size of the consortium to $1.8

billion, the company said in a statement.

The consortium will prioritise investments in existing or

near-term producing assets rather than frontier exploration

projects that could take a decade to turn into a mine, it said.

In July, MP Materials ( MP ) entered into a public-private

partnership with the U.S. defense department to build out a

domestic rare earth magnet supply chain and reduce foreign

dependency.

Critical mineral companies are boosting lobbying efforts in

Washington, hoping to share in the ambitious investments that

President Donald Trump has pledged to firms deemed essential to

national security.

(Reporting by Brijesh Patel in Bengaluru)