LONDON (Reuters) – Automakers are rushing to lock in graphite supply from outside dominant producer China as mined graphite demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries outpaces other uses.
Below are details of some Western companies producing, or planning to produce graphite, and their deals with auto makers and battery producers.
NEXTSOURCE MATERIALS INC
Launched its Molo mine in Madagascar in April, which is due to produce 17,000 metric tons of graphite per year, expanding in the future. It aims to start annual production at a battery anode plant in Mauritius in 2024 at 3,600 metric tons.
It has two 10-year sales agreements with steelmaker Thyssenkrupp and a Japanese graphite sales trading company. It is in talks with automakers on other offtake deals.
TALGA GROUP LTD
Getting final permits for the Vittangi mine and Lulea refinery in Sweden with the aim to launch output in 2024, initially producing 19,500 metric tons of active anode material a year.
It has non-binding offtake deals with two battery makers:
Automotive Cells Company (ACC), co-owned by Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and Saft .
Verkor, partly owned by Renault
Talga is in talks with other automakers, battery firms.
SYRAH RESOURCES LTD
Operates Balama mine in Mozambique, which doubled graphite production to 163,000 metric tons in 2022 from the year before. It is building the Vidalia processing facility in the U.S. state of Louisiana, aiming for an initial annual output of 11,250 metric tons of active anode material.
It signed a four-year deal to supply anode materials to Tesla, with an option to purchase more. It also has two non-binding deals, one with LG Energy Solution and another with Ford Motor Company and SK On.
MAGNIS ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES LTD
Developing Nachu graphite mine in Tanzania, aiming to produce 236,000 metric tons of graphite concentrate. It is planning to build an anode plant in the United States and also operates a battery factory in New York.
Magnis signed an offtake deal with Tesla to supply 17,500 metric tons of active anode material for three years beginning in February 2025, with an option to increase.
RENASCOR RESOURCES LTD
Developing the Siviour mine and anode plant in South Australia, with an initial capacity of 28,000 metric tons. Production is expected to start in 2025, according to Macquarie.
It has non-binding deals to supply processed graphite to South Korea’s Posco, China’s Minguang and Zeto and Japan’s Hanwa.
NOUVEAU MONDE GRAPHITE INC
Developing an operation in Canada consisting of the Matawinie mine to produce 103,000 metric tons of graphite concentrate and the Becancour battery material plant with output of 43,000 metric tons of anode material.
It has a non-binding offtake agreement with Panasonic Energy.
TIRUPATI GRAPHITE PLC
Launched commercial shipments from its mining operations in Madagascar in March 2023, aiming to ramp up annual capacity to 84,000 metric tons of graphite by the end of 2024.
In April, it completed the acquisition of graphite mine projects in Mozambique and plans to build a processing plant in India.
WESTWATER RESOURCES INC
Building a graphite processing plant in the U.S. state of Alabama due to start production in 2024 at 7,500 tonnes of anode material, rising to 40,500 tonnes in a second phase.
It has a development agreement with battery producer SK On to potentially supply anode material. The company is also developing the Coosa mining project in an area of Alabama that produced graphite from the late 1800s to the 1950s.
(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
