International Graphite plan to develop a global graphite micronising project in Western Australia has again received a strong show of support from the state government, in the form of an additional $6.5 million grant for the innovative development.

The new backing for Australia’s first downstream graphite processing plant comes after two years of establishment work and brings the company’s total funding from the state’s Collie Just Transition program to $8.5m.

Grant funding will be used to advance International Graphite’s plans for a 4,000 tonnes per annum commercial-scale graphite micronising operation at Collie, south of Perth.

It will also progress the design of downstream battery anode facilities and mine-to-market feasibility work for processing of graphite concentrate feed from the company’s Springdale graphite project in WA’s south.

Emerging industry

“We are thrilled by the support and leadership the WA government is providing to our emerging critical minerals industry and proud of their confidence in us to deliver real benefits for Collie and the State,” International Graphite chair Phil Hearse said.

“The grants are designed to encourage innovation in three areas—green manufacturing, minerals processing and energy intensive, or future clean energy initiatives.”

“International Graphite’s operations support all three, making our project an extremely good fit with the government’s priorities for the industry and the region.”

As well as the WA government support, International Graphite received $4.7m in federal funding as part of the Critical Minerals Development Program to support its mine-to-market graphite supply chain plans in WA.

Clean energy powerhouse

Premier Roger Cook said the Collie project is a key element in WA’s growing clean energy sector.

“My Government is positioning WA as a global clean energy powerhouse and today’s announcement confirms that Collie will be front and centre of that plan,” Mr Cook said.

“Global demand for battery materials is soaring and Collie will be home to a nation-leading battery materials production facility—ensuring the town remains a vital part of our energy future.”

“Importantly, this project will create quality, long-term industrial jobs in the heart of Collie, helping to diversify the local economy and supporting the town’s transition away from coal.”

“We’re backing Collie’s future, creating local jobs and delivering a strong economy for generations to come.”

Initially, the Collie micronising plant will use concentrate feed sourced from third parties, enabling the company to build a customer base, gain operating experience, establish markets for future by-products and generate cash flow ahead of the launch of its proposed integrated Springdale-Collie operations.

Battery anode material

As well as being a critical conductive additive in the cathode of lithium-ion batteries, micronised graphite is the first stage in producing anode material for battery-powered technologies, particularly electric vehicles and green energy storage.

Micronised graphite is also used in many industrial products from lubricants, polymers, plastics and ceramics, to lightweight structural materials and fire-resistant building materials.