International Graphite, in a first for Australia’s minerals industry, has commissioned a new micronizing plant in Collie, near Perth.
The qualification-scale microniser, with a capacity of 200 tonnes per annum, is the largest in Australia and a milestone in the development of a domestic graphite industry.
It will be the first to produce graphite products in Australia for customer acceptance testing.
The new plant is the precursor to a 4,000 tonnes per annum commercial micronising facility the company expects to have operating at Collie within 18 months.
Construction of the ~$12.5M plant could be given the green light as early as mid-year.
“Establishing a standalone micronising business is a novel road to market for the aspiring graphite producer whose ultimate goal is to be producing advanced battery anode materials at Collie from its 100%-owned Springdale graphite project near Hopetoun, Western Australia,” the company said.
A fully integrated graphite supply from Western Australia will be one of the first of its kind in the western world. The plan has already attracted the attention of potential customers and finance partners in Australia, Japan, Korea and North America.
Micronising will enable the company to develop a customer base, gain operating experience, build markets for future by-products, and generate cashflow.
Managing Director and CEO Andrew Worland said: “Demand for batteries will continue to grow. There are already more than 240 battery gigafactories operating worldwide, and up to 400 expected to open by 2030. All of them will need a secure source of graphite materials.”
The company’s strategy has won favour with both the Western Australian Government, which supports early micronising as an important contributor to Collie’s economic transition from coal, and the Australian Government, which recognises the critical role graphite plays in the battery minerals mix. Together, they have contributed $6.7m in grant funding to International Graphite.
More than 100 jobs are expected to be created at Springdale and Collie.
Source: International Graphite