PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Hazer Group and Mineral Resources have signed a nonbinding heads of agreement to potentially develop commercial synthetic graphite facilities.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work towards developing a large-scale commercial synthetic graphite facility, initially targeted towards the production of at least 1 000 t/y of ultra high purity graphite, and capable of modular expansion to a nominal 10 000 t/y.
Mineral Resources is expected to fund the entire project across all stages of scale-up and development, while Hazer will provide technical assistance and obtain royalties from revenue generated by the sale of the graphite produced.
“We are delighted to have furthered the relationship with Mineral Resources through this agreement,” Hazer MD Geoff Pocock said on Tuesday.
“Mineral Resources has been a significant shareholder and supporter of Hazer since our initial public offering, and is the ideal partner for this next stage of commercialisation towards high-value synthetic graphite products.”
Pocock said that the initial focus of the collaboration would be on a pilot-scale facility with integrated purification capability, capable of producing 1 t/y of ultra high purity graphite, with commissioning of this pilot plant targeted for mid-2018.
Once the two companies are satisfied with the design and performance of the pilot plant, Mineral Resources will design and construct a commercial scale production facility.