NextSource Materials Inc. has made its first bulk container shipment of SuperFlake graphite from its Molo mine in Madagascar.
This first shipment of Molo SuperFlake graphite has been sent to the company's downstream technical partner's Battery Anode Facility (BAF) to be processed into spheronized, purified graphite (SPG) that will then be further processed into coated SPG (CSPG) as part of large scale, multi-step verification tests being conducted by electric vehicle (EV) supply chains in South Korea and Japan.
The company expects to receive its first series of verification test results starting in December 2023.
NextSource aims to become a vertically integrated global supplier of graphite anode material.
The company has plans to construct, in stages, multiple BAFs capable of producing CSPG at commercial scale in key jurisdictions.
Separately, the company has also completed commissioning and achieved full operations of its solar and battery hybrid power plant at Molo. The solar hybrid plant is owned and operated by CrossBoundary Energy under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
"Completing our first bulk shipment is a significant accomplishment and the result of the hard work and dedication of our operations team,” said NextSource chief executive Craig Scherba.
“As we continue the optimization phase of the commissioning process and towards ramp-up to nameplate production capacity for phase 1 of Molo mine operations, NextSource is well positioned to play a critical role in the global, sustainable lithium-ion battery supply chain that is expected to see exponential growth over the next few decades. We are also delighted to have completed commissioning of our solar hybrid plant, which will enable us to significantly reduce our carbon emissions and all-in sustaining costs. NextSource is committed to playing our role in global decarbonization."