Evion Group dispatches maiden expandable graphite shipment as export revenues rise

Evion Group NL has started its maiden shipment of expandable graphite as part of its joint venture (JV) operations with India-based Panthera Graphite Technologies (PGT). 

The initial consignment of 80 metric tonnes has departed for an offtake buyer in Europe, generating around A$400,000 in revenue for the 50-50 partnership.

 Outside of main processing centre at PGT operations.

Increasing demand

The shipment comes as demand for graphite is expected to rapidly increase.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has identified a gap between critical minerals supply and the growing demand for batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), and the energy transition. Key insights include:

• Graphite demand is projected to rise steadily from 2018 to 2050.
• China’s share of global graphite supply is expected to decline from 67% to 39% by 2033.
• An estimated 300 new graphite mines will be required by 2035 to meet demand.
• The global graphite market is forecast to reach US$21.6 billion by 2027, with prices expected to stabilise as demand scales up.

EV global sales still expanding.

“Production has continued to ramp up over the past month, and an extensive inventory of expandable graphite is awaiting final treatment based on the requirement of our main offtake buyer in Europe,” Evion managing director David Round said.

“We expect these processing times to improve with shipments each month of 150 metric tonnes in the short term and invoicing of around A$750,000 per month to the JV.”

Prioritising export

The maiden shipment follows extensive product blending and optimisation at the Pune Production Facility to meet the required specifications. 

The JV team is now prioritising the export of the remaining 306 metric tonnes from the first sales order, with invoicing expected in the near term.

Further shipments are anticipated as pre-shipment stocks of expandable graphite are already in place, awaiting final packing instructions from the buyer. 

As operations scale up, Evion expects a significant increase in both shipment volumes and revenue, paving the way for the planned Stage 2 expansion.

Market demand for the JV’s expandable graphite continues to grow, with new product orders commanding prices exceeding US$4,500 per metric tonne. 

The material is widely deployed in high-growth industries such as aerospace, electric vehicles, energy storage, and electronics, positioning Evion for substantial long-term opportunities in the expanding graphite market.

Global shortage

“We have recently agreed to meet new enquiries and orders which require the JV to produce higher specification products that will sell for more than US$4,500/tonne. 

“As we expected, demand for our product continues to grow as the global shortage of expandable graphite impacts certain global manufacturing operations.

“Importantly, we propose to update our Feasibility Study² for our Expandable Graphite JV to demonstrate the positive return our planned Stage 2 and Stage 3 operations can generate.

Meanwhile, activity in Madagascar continues as critically important meetings take place this week.