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Writer's pictureMichael Philipps

International Graphite gets funding to fuel graphite play

Updated: May 20


International Graphite plans to use Federal Government funding on feasibility work at its Collie processing hub. Credit: File

International Graphite will use a second-tranche $1.25 million Critical Minerals Development Grant payment to continue feasibility work on its Springdale graphite project and downstream processing facilities.


The latest payment is part of a $4.7 million funding agreement with the Federal Government as part of the national Critical Minerals Development Program that also delivered $1.7 million to the company in June this year.


In September, the company more than tripled the size of its mineral resource at Springdale near Hopetoun on Western Australia’s south coast to a whopping 49.3 million tonnes at 6.5 per cent total graphitic carbon (TGC). The impressive new resource also includes a grade increase from the previous figure of 15.3 million tonnes at 6 per cent TGC, with 11.5 million tonnes at 7.5 per cent TGC in the indicated category.


International Graphite plans to process its Springdale-sourced ore at its Collie processing facility, about 450km from the deposit. The procedure will allow it to transform the raw graphite material into a substance appropriate for use in the construction of lithium-ion batteries.


A scoping study for Springdale is set to be released early next year, while the installation of the company’s graphite micronising qualification plant and dry commissioning is expected to be finalised this week. Management says processing of imported graphite concentrates will kick off in the new year to produce micronised graphite products of various sizes for customer validation and qualification.


A final investment decision for International Graphite’s planned $12.5 million commercial operation at Collie, which is says will be capable of producing 4000 tonnes of micronised graphite annually, is expected in the first half of next year.


Management says the processing plant is another milestone in its plans to produce battery anode material (BAM) in WA for the growing lithium-ion battery market. Micronised graphite is the first step in the production of BAM and a by-product of the spheroidising process. It can be sold as a conductive additive to battery cathodes or for use in a wide range of industrial applications.


The $4.7 million grant is not the first time International Graphite has received government recognition. Back in October last year, the WA Government concluded a $2 million financial assistance agreement with the company as part of the Collie Futures Industry Development Fund grant. The funds were earmarked to further ongoing development of the graphite processing pilot plant and a research and development facility in Collie.


The Springdale project is a near-surface, potentially open-pit mining operation that is strategically located on WA’s south coast, with a well-developed infrastructure of roads and ports.


Management believes the vulnerability of the battery supply chain is now highly exposed following China’s decision to restrict its graphite product exports from this month. The company says China supplies more than 80 per cent of the world graphite market, leaving battery gigafactory developers across Europe, North America, Korea and Japan searching for a consistent and reliable supply of critical raw materials.


With a significant resource at Springdale and development progressing rapidly at its Collie processing hub, International Graphite could find itself in the box seat to become a major player in the graphite sector.


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