WA Government awards $6.5 million to Australia’s first downstream graphite plant
Highlights
- The Western Australian Government has awarded $6.5 million to progress International Graphite’s downstream operations at Collie.
- The plant is expected to be Australia’s first purpose-built graphite processing facility and will significantly increase the nation’s sovereign supply of critical battery minerals.
- The funding will establish commercial-scale micronising operations and progress battery anode feasibility work for concentrate feedstock from the Springdale Graphite Project.
- The release of funds is subject to a formal agreement being finalised.
22 April 2024 - International Graphite Limited (ASX: IG6) is delighted to announce it has received an additional $6.5 million grant from the Western Australian Government to establish Australia’s first downstream graphite processing plant. The award builds on two years of establishment work and brings the Company’s total funding from the State’s Collie Just Transition Program to $8.5 million.
The grant was announced by WA Premier the Hon. Roger Cook at the Company’s Collie R Facility during the Collie Industry Transition Expo on Saturday 20 April 2024.
Grant funding will be used to advance International Graphite’s plans for a 4,000 tpa commercial-scale graphite micronising operation, at Collie. It will also progress the design of downstream battery anode facilities, and mine-to-market battery anode feasibility work for processing of graphite concentrate feed from the Company’s Springdale Graphite Project.
International Graphite Chairman Phil Hearse said, “We are thrilled by the support and leadership the Western Australian 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.
“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.”
Caption: Western Australian Premier the Hon. Roger Cook announces the $6.5M grant at IG6’s Collie R Facility. L-R: Managing Director and CEO Andrew Worland, WA Regional Development Minister Don Punch, Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns, and IG6 Chairman and Founder Phil Hearse.
The latest grant is from the Collie Industrial Transition Fund (CITF), which forms part of the WA Government’s $547.4 million Collie Transition Package. International Graphite was one of the first grant recipients receiving $2.0 million from the affiliated Collie Futures Industry Development Fund (CFIDF) in July 2021.
The establishment of a commercial micronising plant, at Collie, is an important initial step in the Company’s strategy to produce advanced battery anode materials using graphite concentrates from the mining operations it is planning to develop at its Springdale Graphite Project, near Hopetoun in Western Australia.
Initially, the micronising plant will use concentrate feed sourced from third parties, which will enable the Company to build a customer base, gain operating experience, establish markets for future by-products, and generate cashflow ahead of the launch of its proposed integrated Springdale-Collie operations.
As well as being a critical conductive additive in the cathode of lithium-ion batteries, micronised graphite is the first stage in producing battery 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.
Grant funding is subject to a formal agreement which is expected to be finalised in coming weeks.
View the WA Government announcement at: https://www.wa.gov.au/government/media-statements/Cook-Labor-Government/Funding-boost-to-develop-job-creating-Collie-graphite-plant-20240420
This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of International Graphite Limited.
Andrew Worland
Managing Director CEO
About International Graphite
International Graphite is an emerging supplier of processed graphite products, including battery anode material, for the global electric vehicle and renewable energy markets. The Company is developing a sovereign Australian ‘mine to market’ capability, with integrated operations wholly located in Western Australia. The Company intends to build on Australia’s reputation for technical excellence and outstanding ESG performance with future mining and graphite concentrate production from its 100% owned Springdale Graphite Project and commercial scale downstream processing at Collie. International Graphite is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: IG6) and Tradegate and Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FWB: H99, WKN: A3DJY5) and is a member of the European Battery Alliance (EBA250) and European Raw Minerals Alliance (ERMA). www.internationalgraphite.com.au
For more information please contact:
Robert Hodby
CFO/Company Secretary
Marie Howarth
Media and Communication
