Graphite is becoming one of the more important critical minerals to watch because it sits at the centre of battery anode supply. As demand for electric vehicles, energy storage and electrification continues to grow, the market needs large volumes of reliable graphite.
Critical minerals are increasingly being treated as strategic assets, and governments are using export controls, taxes, licensing rules and industrial policy to protect supply. Since 2020, restrictions on critical minerals have increased. This makes supply security more valuable and raises the importance of projects that can offer buyers material from alternative jurisdictions.
Natural graphite is attracting attention because it can be cheaper and less energy-intensive than synthetic graphite. Synthetic graphite is made from petroleum coke, while natural graphite is mined and processed. Natural graphite can require much less electricity to produce, which matters for cost, margins and customer demand. Battery makers still use both natural and synthetic graphite, but improved natural graphite processing could allow natural material to take a larger share of future anode blends.
Companies that can mine, process and supply natural graphite outside dominant supply regions may be better positioned as buyers look to reduce reliance on concentrated supply chains. The value is not only in having a graphite deposit. It is in proving that the material can meet battery specifications, secure customer qualification and reach production at the right time.
Total Graphite plc (LON:TGR), previously Tirupati Graphite, is a specialist natural flake graphite mining and processing company, with operations in Madagascar and development projects in Mozambique securing diverse supply chains of this critical mineral for customers to meet growing energy transition demand.
