International Graphite receives $4.5 million grant to build Australia’s first commercial graphite micronization plant

International Graphite Ltd has been awarded a significant grant of $4.5 million from the Western Australian Government to build the country’s first dedicated commercial graphite micronization plant at Collie, Australia. The funding will help advance the company’s strategic goal of becoming a major player in the global graphite industry.

The $4.5 million grant will fund the construction of the 3,000 tonnes per annum micronization facility, with an initial estimated capital cost of $4 million. The first stage of the project is expected to be fully funded to completion.

The remaining $2.5 million grant will be used to expand the facility’s capacity to approximately 10,000 tonnes per annum in the second stage. The Collie micronization facility is expected to produce micronized products of 95% and 99% total graphite content (TGC) from graphite concentrate from the company’s wholly owned Springdale Graphite Project.

Graphite micronization is the process of grinding natural flake graphite into a fine powder using advanced grinding technology. The resulting powder is called micronized graphite.

Expressing his excitement about the progress of the project, Andrew Worland, Managing Director and CEO of International Graphite, said: "We are delighted to be moving forward with the construction of the new Collie plant. Establishing a micronization business at Collie is an important step in our growth plan. Crucially, it will establish the company as a producer in the graphite industry and further enhance our technical skills as we advance our strategy to bring battery anode materials to market from the Springdale mine."

The company decided to build the facility in two phases to leverage the valuable experience gained from its existing Collie graphite processing and R&D facility. The facility played an important role in optimizing equipment selection, operating conditions and expanding production capacity to achieve lower unit capital costs.

As global demand for high-quality graphite continues to soar, International Graphite's Collie micronization plant is expected to become a key contributor to Australia's booming battery materials industry.