Mining firm Graphite One has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chinese lithium-ion battery anode producer Sunrise New Energy Material to develop a US graphite material manufacturing facility.
The firms will share expertise and technology for the design, construction, and operation of Graphite One’s proposed US-based materials facility.
Plans for the facility are due to be detailed in the Canadian headquartered firm’s pre-feasibility study in the next three months.
Anthony Huston, CEO of Graphite One, said: “It is well understood in the North American graphite development sector that battery anode process expertise resides in China.
“As Graphite One works to develop North America’s first complete advanced graphite material supply chain, the technical acumen Sunrise can provide could allow us to optimise our processing capacity and ensure our new US-based facility is purpose-built from day one to the highest industry standards.”
Haiping Hu, chairman of Sunrise New Energy Material, said: “With the many gigafactories being built in the US, Sunrise is excited to enter into this MoU with Graphite One, with the largest natural graphite deposit in North America.
“We look forward to assisting Graphite One with the development of its planned anode facility to serve the American market at this critical moment in the transition to the low-carbon energy future we all seek.”
Sunrise produces 6,000 tonnes per year of lithium-Ion battery anode materials; its 100,000 tonne per year anode production facility is under construction in China’s Guizhou Province, with completion expected by the end of 2023.
The main products include: artificial graphite, natural graphite, composite graphite, and other anode materials.
Graphite One is focused on developing its Graphite One Project to produce high grade coated spherical graphite (CSG) mined from its Graphite Creek Property in Alaska.
The goal is to create a vertically integrated enterprise to mine, process and manufacture high grade CSG primarily for the electric vehicle lithium-ion battery market.
US graphite tariffs
Last December, vehicle giant Tesla and battery behemoth SK Innovations called for a waiver on tariffs for graphite imported into the US from China.
The 25% tariffs were first introduced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in September 2018 in response to China’s “unfair trade practices” conclusion in the Donald Trump administration’s Section 301 investigation.
