PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed EcoGraf on Tuesday said it was finalising a preferred site for a potential unpurified spherical graphite (SPG) and fines facility in Tanzania, after an independent study confirmed the economic opportunity.
The company told shareholders that its Tanzanian mechanical shaping study had identified four locations for the initial development of a 20 000 t/y processing facility using natural flake graphite sources from the Epanko mine, in Tanzania.
The study confirmed cost savings of up to 50% when compared with previous studies undertaken by EcoGraf on other global locations, with similar capital cost possible through locating these activities in Tanzania, driven by substantially lower energy costs - the major cost component for milling and shaping.
Furthermore, a Tanzania-based mechanical shaping operation would support optimised global logistics into Europe, Asia and North America with location footprint sought to support future expansion, enabling EcoGraf to expand in step with the anticipated strong growth in demand for active anode material, the company told shareholders.
EcoGraf is now finalising the preferred site based on securing development sites, regulatory approvals and investment incentives from Tanzania’s Export Processing Zones Authority, which could include up to 10-year exemptions on corporate tax, local government taxes, VAT on utilities and exemptions on duties for capital equipment.