Lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) rely on a mix of materials, one of which is graphite. As such, it plays a critical role in the energy transition. China is a dominant force in the supply chain and has produced most of the world’s natural graphite for decades.
But Europe is intent on decreasing supply-chain dependency on foreign markets like China, where graphite is mainly sourced unsustainably. As technologies advance, the market is ready to favour more environmentally-friendly graphite.
‘The dominance from Chinese resources […] should be addressed,’ Corina Hebestreit, secretary general at the European Carbon and Graphite Association (ECGA), told Autovista24. ‘There are European and other sources that could and should be tapped into in the future to achieve a better balance.’
Tirupati Graphite PLC (LON:TGR) is a fully integrated specialist graphite and graphene producer, with operations in Madagascar and India. The Company is delivering on this strategy by being fully integrated from mine to graphene. Its global multi-location operations include primary mining and processing in Madagascar, hi-tech graphite processing in India to produce specialty graphite, and a state-of-art graphene and technology R&D center to be established in India.
