International Graphite has received $6.5 million in funding from the Western Australian Government to establish Australia’s first downstream graphite processing plant.
The grant was announced by Western Australian Premier, Roger Cook, at the company’s Collie R&D Facility during the Collie Industry Transition Expo on Saturday 20 April 2024.
Grant funding will be used to advance International Graphite’s plans for a 4,000tpa commercial-scale graphite micronising operation at Collie. It is also expected to progress the design of downstream battery anode facilities and mine-to-market battery anode feasibility work for processing of graphite concentrate feed from the company’s Springdale Graphite Project.
The award brings International Graphite’s total funding from Western Australia’s Collie Just Transition Program to $8.5 million.
International Graphite’s Chairman, Phil Hearse, said, “We are thrilled by the support and leadership the Western Australian Government is providing to our emerging critical minerals industry and proud of their confidence in us to deliver real benefits for Collie and the state.
“The grants are designed to encourage innovation in three areas – green manufacturing, minerals processing and energy intensive or future clean energy initiatives. International Graphite’s operations support all three, making our project an extremely good fit with the Government’s priorities for the industry and the region.”
The latest grant is from the Collie Industrial Transition Fund (CITF), which forms part of the Western Australian Government’s $547.4 million Collie Transition Package.
International Graphite said that the establishment of a commercial micronising plant at Collie is an important initial step in the company’s strategy to produce advanced battery anode materials using graphite concentrates from the mining operations it is planning to develop at its Springdale Graphite Project, near Hopetoun in Western Australia.
Initially, the micronising plant will use concentrate feed sourced from third parties, which will enable the company to build a customer base, gain operating experience, establish markets for future by-products and generate cashflow ahead of the launch of its proposed integrated Springdale-Collie operations.
As well as being a conductive additive in the cathode of lithium-ion batteries, micronised graphite is the first stage in producing battery anode material for battery-powered technologies, particularly electric vehicles and green energy storage.
Micronised graphite is also used in many industrial products, from lubricants, polymers, plastics and ceramics, to lightweight structural materials and fire resistant building materials.
Grant funding is subject to a formal agreement which is expected to be finalised in May 2024.
Featured Image: (L-R) International Graphite’s Managing Director and CEO, Andrew Worland, Western Australian Minister for Regional Development, Don Punch, Collie-Preston MLA, Jodie Hanns, and International Graphite’s Chairman and Founder, Phil Hearse at International Graphite’s R&D Facility. Image credit: International Graphite.
