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Syrah Resources Starts Supplying Graphite to Indonesian Battery Plant
Australian mining company Syrah Resources, which operates in the Balama district of Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique, has announced that it has started supplying graphite to a battery manufacturer located in Indonesia. This is BTR New Materials, which has purchased 10,000 tonnes of graphite.
According to information released by the mining company, this is the first bulk sale to be made to a battery manufacturer outside of China.
“This bulk sale follows a trial shipment of containers of natural graphite fines from Balama to Indonesia. This import is another important development in our sales diversification strategy.”
The mining company also said that BTR New Materials Group is building a battery factory in Indonesia, valued at 478 million dollars, and that production is due to start this year, so there could be new sales.
Syrah also explained that sales of natural graphite from the Balama mine in the first quarter “were similar” to those in the last quarter of 2023.
“Demand conditions for natural graphite in China were impacted by the uncertainty related to the granting of graphite export licences,” it admitted.
Balama’s production had risen to 41,000 tonnes of natural graphite in the first quarter of 2023, up from 35,000 tonnes in the previous quarter.
In November, the Mozambican Minister of the Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, said that the country had plenty of graphite to meet the demand for electric cars in the European Union, advocating business partnerships.
“There are no electric motors without graphite, there are no batteries without lithium, there are no magnets without heavy sands. Structured partnerships between Europeans and Mozambicans can and must alleviate this demand and contribute to the acceleration of Mozambique’s industrialisation,” he said.
The Economic and Social Plan of the State Budget (PESOE) for 2024 foresees the production of 329,040 tonnes of graphite, the raw material needed to produce batteries for electric vehicles.
