Mozambique and Tanzania have emerged as potential sources for South Korea as it explores options in African nations to secure a supply of graphite. This move comes in response to China tightening its export controls on this critical material, which is extensively used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
The South Korean trade ministry has identified these African countries to address potential shortages. China, being the world’s leading graphite producer, recently introduced stricter export controls on select graphite categories. In last week’s report, Reuters explained China’s reasons for tightening its exports of graphite, citing national security concerns and a desire to protect the supply chain, particularly in critical industries like electric vehicle (EV) battery production.
Africa, boasting some of the world’s most substantial graphite reserves, stands ready to assume a pivotal role in meeting the global market demand. Numerous impactful projects are at the forefront, driving this development.
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.