Graphite mining company Westwater Resources has already cracked the surface in western Coosa County but remains tight-lipped about the location of its processing plant, an operation that could bring up to 100 jobs to the area.

Last month, the Colorado-based company started drilling 10,000 feet into the bottommost foothills of the Appalachians in an area not far from Rockford. The exploratory drilling program is "going on as we speak," Westwater CEO Christopher Jones told investors Thursday.