PERTH (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Valence Industries has exported its first graphite out of Port Lincoln from the Uley graphite project, in South Australia.
Some 20 t of flake graphite were trucked from Port Lincoln to Valence Industries’ Port Adelaide logistics handling facility in preparation for export to customers in Asia Pacific.
The company told shareholders on Thursday that the production rate and manufacturing of graphite product at Uley would increase materially as the plant moved through its commissioning and production ramp-up programme, to reach its targeted output.
Phase 1 of the Uley operations would deliver about 14 000 t/y of graphite, while the Phase 2 expansion would see production increase from 14 000 t/y to 50 000 t/y. The expansion of the Uley site would provide additional processing capacity in 25 000 t/y increments of graphite output, to reach 64 000 t/y, to effectively match market demand.
The commissioning programme and ramp-up phase remained on schedule for completion by the September quarter, when the Phase 1 production schedule would reach target.