(Ecofin Agency) - The plant could produce 25,000 tonnes of coated spherical purified graphite yearly, an essential component of electric battery anodes. The plant could be supplied in graphite a Chinese group active in Guinea.

Falcon Energy Materials, a Canadian company focused on battery components for electric vehicles, announced on September 9, 2024, that it has signed a technical and strategic partnership agreement with China's Hensen Graphite & Carbon Corporation. Together, they will develop an anode plant in Morocco.

The plant is expected to produce 25,000 tonnes of coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG) per year. CSPG is a key component of electric battery anodes. 

Under the deal, Hensen and Falcon will work together to "develop a CSPG production process that will meet all end-user quality requirements while promoting the industry's highest standards of transparency and sustainability."

The two firms plan to collaborate with engineering firms Tanger Med Engineering from Morocco and Dorfner Anzaplan GmbH from Germany to complete a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) by the fourth quarter of 2024. This assessment will help secure financing for the plant's construction.

Regarding graphite supply to the plant, Falcon Energy Materials said it received a "turnkey proposal" from Shandong Xinhai Mining Technology & Equipment, a Chinese company developing the Lola graphite mine in Guinea.

"The highly complex nature of CSPG's supply chain, which is almost entirely dominated by China, makes Chinese partnerships an essential path to success," said Matthieu Bos, CEO of Falcon Energy Materials.