Australian battery metals company Novonix announced its support for a petition calling on U.S. authorities to investigate alleged dumping of battery-grade graphite by China at unfair prices, which is claimed to undermine the emerging domestic graphite industry.
Novonix has joined the American Active Anode Material Producers (AAAMP) in filing the petition.
“The filing asserts that China is damaging the nascent domestic graphite industry by exporting artificially cheap battery-grade graphite into the U.S., denying North American producers a fair opportunity to compete,” the company stated.
On Wednesday, North American graphite producers urged the U.S. government to impose tariffs as high as 920% on Chinese suppliers of battery-grade graphite.
The producers allege these practices are part of Beijing’s “malicious trade tactics” aimed at dominating the market.
Australian company Syrah Resources, through its U.S. subsidiary Syrah Technologies, also filed an anti-dumping and countervailing duty petition.
Submitted in collaboration with the North American Graphite Alliance, the petition seeks an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission into Chinese exports of both natural and synthetic graphite used in lithium-ion batteries.
The move aligns with broader efforts to bolster North American battery supply chains and reduce dependence on Chinese imports.
The petitions, if approved, could result in significant tariffs on Chinese graphite, aiming to level the playing field for domestic and allied producers.
This coordinated effort underscores the critical role of graphite in the lithium-ion battery supply chain and highlights the growing tensions in global trade dynamics within the clean energy sector.
