Northern Graphite checks out sites for a 200 000 tons battery anode plant





Northern Graphite, which owns Okandjande mine in Namibia and Bissett Creek in Ontario, is evaluating sites to construct a battery anode material plant in Quebec, Canada.

The TSX Venture Exchange listed company announced on 10 Jan. that the envisaged plant that could be sited in the industrial port zone of Baie-Comeauat would hold 200 000 tons per year of battery anode material.

The company said the plant would be one of the world's largest and convert graphite concentrate from its mines and other producers into anode material to supply existing and planned lithium-ion battery manufacturing plants throughout North America. 

Northern Graphite also said it had agreed with Innovation et Development Manicouagan to evaluate sites for constructing a low-cost, large-scale conversion facility.

The agreement gives Northern Graphite 12 months to evaluate several sites around Baie-Comeau to determine their technical and economic suitability for the proposed battery anode manufacturing plant. 

Furthermore, the agreement says the construction of the proposed battery plant would be subject to the identification and acquisition of an appropriate site, receipt of regulatory approvals and financing.

According to the company, the facility's construction is critical to its strategy to empower the electric vehicle industry by creating an end-to-end North American graphite supply chain from the mine to the battery.

Northern Graphite chief executive officer Hughes Jacquemin said since downstream processing is capital and energy intensive, it makes little sense for every graphite mine to develop its capability. 

Jacquemin said Northern Graphite intends to build a large-scale centre of excellence based on production but with the participation of other graphite producers.

"The supply picture for natural graphite is marked by a significant dependence on China for both graphite mine production and downstream processing. Our proposed plant would solve both issues on an industry-wide scale by providing OEMs and battery makers with a transparent, environmental, social governance compliant supply of anode material to meet current and projected demand," Jacquemin said.

The Prefect of the Manicouagan Regional County Municipality, Marcel Furlong, said the Baie-Comeau industrial port area has a lot of space, as well as considerable energy and logistical resources, thus facilitating the establishment of a project in the battery and anode material industry. 

Furlong said Unesco recognised the Manicouagan RCM in 2007 as Canada's 14th and largest World Biosphere Reserve. 

"We can only welcome this collaborative agreement and commit ourselves with confidence to the success of the battery anode manufacturing project in our territory," Furlong said.

 

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