Graphite purification plant to be constructed in Mauritius
A graphite purification plant is set to be developed in Mauritius. NextSource Materials unveiled the plans and said the plant will be located in the country’s freeport zone.
The plant will have an initial production capacity of 3,600 tonnes per annum with projected expansion to 14,400 tonnes after 2024. Graphite material sourced from NextSource’s mine will be processed at the Mer Rouge site in Mauritius to produce battery-grade graphite. The finished product, coated spherical purified graphite, will be exported to global battery manufacturers from Port Louis, Mauritius’ capital.
Demand for graphite
NextSource highlighted the increasing demand for graphite due to its applications in various industries such as consumer electronics, green energy storage, and medical applications. While graphite deposits are not scarce, the supply of battery-grade graphite is relatively limited.
NextSource initiated graphite production at its Molo mine in Toliara, Madagascar, in June of the previous year. Initially, the mine will produce 17,000 tonnes per annum of flake graphite concentrate, with plans to increase production to 150,000 tonnes per annum.
The flake graphite produced at the Molo mine has been sold to key customers, including thyssenkrupp Materials Trading in Germany, under existing offtake agreements. Additionally, NextSource has sold graphite to its Japanese technical partner, which supplies value-added graphite to Japan’s largest anode processor, serving Japanese and international original equipment manufacturers with graphite anode material.
