RANKED: World's top 10 graphite projects - MINING.COM (2024)

RANKED: World's top 10 graphite projects - MINING.COM (1)

Graphite grabbed recent news headlines when China announced it will require export permits for some graphite products. China is the world’s top graphite producer and exporter and it refines more than 90% of the world’s graphite into the material that is used in virtually all EV battery anodes. The graphite curbs are intensifying efforts among miners outside China to bring graphite projects to fruition.

The West’s dependency on Chinese supply has seen graphite recently added to the US Department of Energy’s list of critical raw materials. According to a Benchmark Mineral Intelligenceanalysis, this year lithium-ion batteries will overtake the steel industry as the number one source of demand for graphite.

In a snapshot of the world’s future supply,Mining Intelligencedata provides a ranking of the largest projects, based on contained graphite resource in the Measured+Indicated categories.

RANKED: World's top 10 graphite projects - MINING.COM (2)

# 1 Balama North/Nicanda Hill

Development status: Stalled in feasibility

Triton Minerals’ Balama/Nicanda Hill in Mozambique takes the top spot with 41.7 million tonnes (mt) of contained graphite. The project is in the Cabo Delgado region of Northern Mozambique, the same province as Syrah Resources’ Balama mine, which is the world’s largest graphite producing facility. The project is currently stalled and the Cabo Delgado province has seen unrest due to Islamic extremist insurgency.

#2 Sarytogan

Development status: Prefeasibility

In second place is Sarytogan Graphite Limited’s flagship project with 36.3 mt of contained graphite in the Karaganda province of Central Kazakhstan, which is progressing though a pre-feasibility study.

#3 Lac Gueret

Development status: Preliminary Economic Assessment

Mason Recources’ Lac Gueret project in northeastern Quebec is in third place with 11.3 mt of contained graphite. Mason released a preliminary economic assessment in January, and has entered into an option and joint venture agreement with Nouveau Monde Graphite to collaborate to advance the project.

#4 Mahenge

Development status: Permitting

In fourth place is Blackrock Mining’s Mahenge project in Tanzania with 9.3 mt of contained graphite.
The Mahenge project is spread across 324 square kilometres of exploration tenements in Tanzania’s Ulanga district, approximately 250 km north of the border with Mozambique.

#5 Siviour

Development status: Permitting

The Siviour project, owned by Renascor Resources, is in fifth place with 5.2 mt of contained graphite. The Siviour graphite project is located 15 kilometres from Arno Bay on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.

#6 Epanko

Development status: Permitting

The Epanko graphite project in Tanzania takes the sixth spot with 4.8 mt of contained graphite. Owner Ecograf Ltd in April signed a framework agreement with the Tanzanian Government for the Epanko project, which will provide supply diversity and scale-up optionality.

#7 La Loutre

Development status: Prefeasibility

Lomiko Metals’ La Loutre project in Quebec is in seventh place with 2.9 mt contained graphite. The most concentrated supply of natural flake graphite projects is found in the Grenville geological Province of Quebec — and Lomiko’s La Loutre project is at the centre.

#8 Malingunde

Development status: Prefeasibility

NGX Limited’s Malingunde project in Malawi is in eighth place with 2.733 mt of contained graphite.

#9 Balama Central

Development status: Permitting

Nearly neck and neck with Malingunde, Tirupati Graphite’s Balama Central project in Mozambique is next with 2.732 mt. Flake graphite from Balama Central is of fine grade and used as feedstock for the graphite anode market.

#10 Bunyu

Development status: Feasibility

Rounding out our list is Volt Resources’ Bunyu project in Tanzania with 2.3 mt of contained graphite. The project is 140km from the deep-water port of Mtwara in the East African country.

More data is at Mining Intelligence.

RANKED: World's top 10 graphite projects - MINING.COM (2024)

FAQs

RANKED: World's top 10 graphite projects - MINING.COM? ›

Graphite mining worldwide

Not only is China the world's leading producer of graphite, but also the country with the largest graphite reserves across the globe, at an estimated 78 million metric tons.

Who are the top 10 producers of graphite? ›

Top 10 Graphite-producing Countries
  1. China. Mine production: 850,000 MT. ...
  2. Madagascar. Mine production: 170,000 MT. ...
  3. Mozambique. Mine production: 110,000 MT. ...
  4. Brazil. Mine production: 87,000 MT. ...
  5. South Korea. Mine production: 17,000 MT. ...
  6. Russia and Canada. Mine production: 15,000 MT. ...
  7. Norway. Mine production: 10,000 MT. ...
  8. India.
Feb 22, 2023

Who is the largest producer of graphite in the world? ›

Graphite mining worldwide

Not only is China the world's leading producer of graphite, but also the country with the largest graphite reserves across the globe, at an estimated 78 million metric tons.

Which country has the best quality graphite? ›

Graphite mining in Sri Lanka has occurred since the Dutch occupation of the country. It is the only country in the world to produce the purest form of graphite, vein graphite (also known as lump graphite), in commercial quantities, currently accounts for less than 1% of the world graphite production.

What are the best graphite stocks to buy? ›

Stock Movers
TickerCompany±%
NVXNOVONIX1.44%
GRFXGraphex Gr1.03%
BKTBlackrock Income Trust0.42%
NMGNouveau Monde Graphite0.3%
4 more rows
Sep 19, 2023

Who does Tesla buy graphite from? ›

Tesla has agreed to a deal with Magnis Energy Technologies , which makes materials for electric-vehicle batteries, to secure supplies of graphite.

What is the largest graphite mining company in the world? ›

# 1 Balama North/Nicanda Hill

The project is in the Cabo Delgado region of Northern Mozambique, the same province as Syrah Resources' Balama mine, which is the world's largest graphite producing facility.

Which US state has the most graphite? ›

In comparison, the Graphite Creek deposit in Alaska contains a measured and indicated resource of more than 10 million metric tons with 7.8 percent graphite plus an inferred resource of more than 90 million metric tons with 8 percent graphite (King and others, 2019). Graphite One Inc.

What is the purest graphite in the world? ›

Sri Lankan graphite is the purest graphite on the planet. Vein graphite is carbon rich and most of our graphite has tested over 90% Cg. You need 99.9% Cg for batteries. Flake /crystalline graphite usually has only around 30-35% carbon.

Does the US produce any graphite? ›

Graphite has not been produced in the U.S. since the 1950s. Graphite occurs in the U.S. as disseminated flake graphite deposits and as graphite veins.

What is the rarest graphite? ›

Lump or vein graphite — which occurs in veins along intrusive contacts and is believed to be hydrothermal in origin — is the rarest, most valuable and highest quality.

Where does China get its graphite from? ›

Graphite can be produced either from naturally mined material or in a synthetic process using petroleum feedstocks. China is by far the leader in both areas.

Which is better graphene or graphite? ›

Although graphite is often used to reinforce steel, it cannot be utilized as a structural material on its own because of its sheer planes. In contrast, graphene is the strongest material ever found; it is more than 40 times stronger than diamond and more than 300 times stronger than A36 structural steel.

Is it worth investing in graphite? ›

Graphite stocks are tied to the renewables theme: The main benefit of investing in ASX graphite stocks is it gives your portfolio exposure to the global renewables transition. This makes it a suitable choice for ESG investors.

Is there a future for graphite? ›

The global Natural Graphite Market is witnessing a robust growth trajectory, with a significant surge from USD 15.5 billion in 2022 to an anticipated USD 24.7 billion by 2029, reflecting a CAGR of 6.4%.

Who is the main exporter of graphite? ›

China was by far the leading exporting country of natural graphite (in the traded form of powder or flakes) worldwide in 2021, accounting for an almost half of the total exports of this mineral.

Who is the biggest producer of graphene in the world? ›

The Canadian corporation NanoXplore led the market for graphene producing companies worldwide as of March 2023, with an estimated market capitalization of 426.7 million U.S. dollars at that time.

Who is the largest importer of graphite? ›

The United States is the world's leading importer country of natural graphite powder and flakes. In 2022, the North American country imported over 187.37 million U.S. dollars of the mineral.

Where is graphite found in the US? ›

The largest known graphite deposit in the United States is the Graphite Creek deposit in Alaska where recent industry exploration has identified a measured and indicated resource of more than 10 million metric tons of ore with 7.8 to 8 percent graphite.

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