(Ecofin Agency) – Mozambique currently dominates graphite production in Africa, but other countries such as Madagascar or Tanzania are emerging to represent an alternative to Chinese supply. The timing is right, as demand is exploding thanks to the electric vehicle battery sector.
EcoGraph is evaluating several options to transform flake graphite from its two Tanzanian projects (Epanko and Merelani-Arusha) into raw material for electric batteries. If it makes an investment decision, the Australian mining company intends to establish in East Africa a supply hub for the global lithium-ion battery market.
According to a study carried out in 2020 by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, this is indeed a sector where global demand is expected to increase at an annual rate of 31.5% over this decade. However, the world supply is currently dominated by China whose factories are also known to be polluting.
However, Tanzania has the potential to produce renewable energy through hydroelectricity and EcoGraf intends to use it to produce one of the “cleanest” graphite materials in the world. This, especially since the local transformation of the raw material reduces the CO2 emissions linked to logistics.
As a reminder, the project can produce 60,000 tons of graphite annually according to a bankable feasibility study published in 2017. Its potential would be even greater, according to the expansion plans currently being developed by its owner. As for Merelani-Arusha, it hosts 17.7 million tonnes grading 6.5% of total graphitic carbon (TGC).
Emiliano Tossou
