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battery anode market drives demand for natural flake graphite – 2022 in review","thriving-battery-anode-market-drives-demand-for-natural-flake-graphite-2022-in-review","article/thriving-battery-anode-market-drives-demand-for-natural-flake-graphite-2022-in-review",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":563,"content":573,"excerpt":679,"featured":51,"reporter":680,"_editable":684,"component":685,"seo_title":553,"categories":686,"visibility":693,"author_company":49,"featured_image":694,"seo_description":679,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":699,"formattedArticleDate":700},"5f5d9aac-4e51-4210-a3f5-d67d3d5714c5","2022-12-19 00:00",[560],{"slug":561,"name":562},"graphite-prices","Graphite prices",[564],{"slug":565,"name":566,"content":567},"didi-bostock","Didi Bostock",{"job_title":568,"image":569,"bio":571,"linkedin":572},"Editor - Energy Transition & Economics",{"filename":570},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/2c5ca5c1a3/didi-bostock.jpeg","Didi is the Energy Transition & Economics Editor at Benchmark, covering a broad range of markets across the energy transition. His remit spans from downstream sectors such as BESS and EVs, through to midstream such as new technologies and battery production, to upstream critical minerals mining. He also leads on financial analysis across these supply chains, alongside in-depth policy analysis.\n","https://www.linkedin.com/in/didi-bostock-656342198/",{"type":574,"content":575},"doc",[576,583,588,593,602,607,612,617,622,637,642,655,666,671],{"type":577,"attrs":578,"content":579},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[580],{"text":581,"type":582},"Natural flake graphite prices increased in 2022 driven by mounting demand from the anode industry.","text",{"type":577,"attrs":584,"content":585},{"textAlign":49},[586],{"text":587,"type":582},"Despite a temporary softening in flake graphite prices over the summer months, as graphite mines from Heilongjiang Province brought robust seasonal supply back online, pricing increased year-on-year, with prices for -100 mesh (94-95% C) (DDP China) up by 22.3% between January and November 2022.",{"type":577,"attrs":589,"content":590},{"textAlign":49},[591],{"text":592,"type":582},"The first quarter of 2022 saw flake graphite prices rise, as supply was constrained under winter mine closures in Heilongjiang Province. This was followed by China’s Spring Festival in February, which stymied market activity. There were also resurging Covid-19 cases in Jixi Heilongjiang Province and a cyclone in Madagascar, which caused logistical disruptions and delivery delays.",{"type":577,"attrs":594,"content":595},{"textAlign":49},[596],{"type":597,"attrs":598},"image",{"id":49,"alt":599,"src":600,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":601},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/5bea753407/bm-flake-graphite-prices-followed-seasonal-trends-in-2022.png",{},{"type":577,"attrs":603,"content":604},{"textAlign":49},[605],{"text":606,"type":582},"Meanwhile, throughout the quarter, the Chinese government carried out environmental inspections of graphite producers in Luobei County and uncovered a number of environmental transgressions. This led to RMB 5,422,000 ($777,228) of fines being imposed in the region, and temporarily shut down refining and mining operations to meet regulations.",{"type":577,"attrs":608,"content":609},{"textAlign":49},[610],{"text":611,"type":582},"Elsewhere, concerns over the security of European regional supply arose in February as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with a potential to restrict approximately 30,000 tonnes per annum of local supply from Europe’s graphite market.",{"type":577,"attrs":613,"content":614},{"textAlign":49},[615],{"text":616,"type":582},"In March, Covid-19 outbreaks across China disrupted the domestic graphite market, particularly in Shandong Province, which is a key graphite processing and transport hub, and produces most of the world’s spherical graphite. As such, prices for uncoated spherical graphite (USPG) 15 microns decreased to $2,800/tonne, the lowest price seen in 2022 up to that point.",{"type":577,"attrs":618,"content":619},{"textAlign":49},[620],{"text":621,"type":582},"In April and May market activity in China remained subdued on the back of virus regulations. Pricing still increased amid continued strong demand for battery anode feedstock and ongoing concern over domestic supply due to the ongoing environmental investigations in Luobei.",{"type":577,"attrs":623,"content":624},{"textAlign":49},[625,627,635],{"text":626,"type":582},"Generally, across this period, pricing for larger flake material was less volatile than finer flakes, which are typically used as battery anode feedstock, given ",{"text":628,"type":582,"marks":629},"weak industrial demand",[630],{"type":631,"attrs":632},"link",{"href":633,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":634},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/natural-graphite-prices-ease-from-eight-year-high-as-chinas-economy-cools","url",{"text":636,"type":582}," from the steel sector in particular.",{"type":577,"attrs":638,"content":639},{"textAlign":49},[640],{"text":641,"type":582},"By June, the supply-side picture in the Chinese domestic market improved, as Luobei mines in Heilongjiang Province fully reopened, dampening graphite prices despite continued robust demand. Prices fell by an average of 3.1% month-on-month for all grades of flake concentrate assessed by Benchmark, with this downward pricing trend continuing through to October.",{"type":577,"attrs":643,"content":644},{"textAlign":49},[645,647,653],{"text":646,"type":582},"Elsewhere in June, ",{"text":648,"type":582,"marks":649},"insurgent attacks in Mozambique",[650],{"type":631,"attrs":651},{"href":652,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":634},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/esg-of-graphite-how-do-synthetic-graphite-and-natural-graphite-compare",{"text":654,"type":582}," affected Syrah Resources’ Balama mine, disrupting transport of flake graphite out of the country and delaying shipments.",{"type":577,"attrs":656,"content":657},{"textAlign":49},[658,664],{"text":659,"type":582,"marks":660},"Entering the winter months",[661],{"type":631,"attrs":662},{"href":663,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":634},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/graphite-inventories-in-china-shrink-ahead-of-winter-shutdowns",{"text":665,"type":582},", flake graphite prices began to rise in November, on the back of seasonal graphite mine closures in Heilongjiang Province and tightening supply and further disruptions in Mozambique.",{"type":577,"attrs":667,"content":668},{"textAlign":49},[669],{"text":670,"type":582},"Prices for higher purity -100 mesh increased by 6.1% from October to November alone to $812/tonne (94-95% C), as battery anode demand continued to grow.",{"type":577,"attrs":672,"content":673},{"textAlign":49},[674],{"text":675,"type":582,"marks":676},"Tony Alderson is an analyst at Benchmark",[677],{"type":678},"italic","Natural flake graphite prices increased in 2022 driven by mounting demand from the anode industry. Despite a temporary softening in flake graphite prices over the summer months, as graphite mines from Heilongjiang Province brought robust seasonal supply back online, pricing increased year-on-year, with prices for -100 mesh (94-95% C) (DDP China) up by 22.3% between […]",[681],{"slug":565,"name":566,"content":682},{"job_title":568,"image":683,"bio":571,"linkedin":572},{"filename":570},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"5f5d9aac-4e51-4210-a3f5-d67d3d5714c5\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[687,690],{"slug":688,"name":689},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":691,"name":692},"graphite","Graphite","private",{"id":49,"alt":695,"name":599,"focus":599,"title":695,"source":599,"filename":696,"copyright":599,"fieldtype":697,"meta_data":698,"is_external_url":51},"Open pit graphite quarry","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/c1745558f8/bm-shutterstock-1628580370-1.jpg","asset",{"alt":695,"title":695,"source":599,"copyright":599},"Dec 19, 2022","19th December 2022",[],[],1792773921441]