Westwater Resources, Inc., an energy technology and battery-grade natural graphite company (“Westwater Resources”), today acknowledged that new Chinese restrictions on the supply of natural graphite will negatively impact the availability of battery anode material which is a critical component in producing the lithium-ion batteries that are used in electric vehicles.
Today, China produces nearly 100 percent of the processed graphite that is used to create battery anodes used in electric vehicles. An average EV in the United States contains approximately 175 pounds of processed graphite. However, the United States currently has no domestic production of natural graphite and no domestic processing of graphite into anode materials for EV batteries.
Westwater Resources is committed to changing this imbalance by providing a domestic supply of natural graphite and a domestic source of graphite processing for the EV market. Westwater Resources is currently building its Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant, which will supply processed graphite to the EV market beginning in early 2025. In addition, Westwater Resources is designing and planning its Coosa Graphite Project, which is scheduled to begin mining natural graphite by the end of 2028. The Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant and the Coosa Graphite Deposit are both located in east-central Alabama.
“The announcement of export curbs by China highlights the importance of standing up a battery grade graphite anode industry in the United States to support the energy transition,” said Terence J. Cryan, Executive Chairman of Westwater Resources. “Since nearly 100 percent of global graphite anode material is coming from China this year, diversity of supply is in the country’s best interest. Westwater’s Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant is ready to lead the way.”