Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a visit to the processing and research and development (R&D) facility of International Graphite Ltd (ASX:IG6) in Collie, WA, yesterday, taking a first-hand look at the company’s contributions to Australia’s critical mineral industry.
The Collie facility is the first of its kind in Australia, representing a vital link in IG6’s mine-to-market strategy, which will involve the development of the Springfield Graphite Project, one of the largest graphite resources in Australia, as well as downstream processing at Collie.
Read: International Graphite nears integrated graphite production as feasibility studies advance
Prime Minister Albanese was accompanied by Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, and Assistant Minister Josh Wilson, as well as WA Government representatives including Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Reece Whitby and Collie-Preston MLA Jodie Hanns.
Government support critical
“Hosting the Prime Minister and Ministers Bowen and Wilson, and WA Minister Whitby, was a great privilege and illustrates the commitment and interest Government is bringing to our industry,” International Graphite founder and chair Phil Hearse said.
“We are seeing growing demand for Australian product, particularly in allied markets like the US, Europe, Japan and Korea.
“The knowledge International Graphite is acquiring from its qualification plant operations here in Collie, along with valued support from both the Commonwealth and State, has been critical in helping to develop our downstream processing strategy.”
Read: International Graphite to capitalise on US demand for Australian graphite
The Collie facility is a pilot-scale micronising and spheroidising plant that is producing product for customer acceptance testing in battery materials, defence, plastics, lubricants, and aerospace industries worldwide.
IG6 intends to ramp up operations at its Collie facility to a nameplate capacity of 4,000 tonnes of micronised product per year using a $4.5 million grant awarded by the WA Government in April.