Canada-based NextSource Materials is gearing up to build a graphite purification facility within Mauritius’ freeport zone, Bloomberg reported.
The initial production capacity of the plant is expected to reach 3,600 tons per annum, with plans for expansion to 14,400 tons after 2024, according to the news agency.
The graphite, sourced from NextSource’s mine in Madagascar, will undergo processing at the Mer Rouge site in Mauritius to produce battery-grade graphite.
This finished product, known as coated spherical purified graphite, will be exported to leading global battery manufacturers from Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius.
NextSource highlighted the increasing demand for graphite due to its wide-ranging applications in consumer electronics, green energy storage, and medical fields.
Despite graphite deposits being abundant, the supply of battery-grade graphite remains limited.
In June last year, NextSource commenced graphite production at its Molo mine in Toliara, Madagascar. Initially producing 17,000 tons per annum of flake graphite concentrate, the company plans to ramp up production to 150,000 tons per annum.
The flake graphite from the mine has been sold to key customers, including Germany’s thyssenkrupp Materials Trading, under existing offtake agreements.
Additionally, NextSource has supplied graphite to its Japanese technical partner, which provides value-added graphite to Japan’s largest anode processor, serving various Japanese and international original equipment manufacturers with graphite anode material.
