Northern Graphite launches NGC Battery Materials Group
Northern Graphite Corp. [NGC-TSXV; NGPHF-OTCQB] said Wednesday it is launching NGC Battery Materials Group to spearhead its mine-to-battery strategy, a move that would make the company one of the sole integrated developers, producers and processors of natural graphite outside of China.
Northern Graphite said NGC Battery Materials Group will lead the development of Northern’s planned 200,000 tonne-per-year Baie-Comeau, Que., Battery Anode Material facility, where production expected to commence in 2026, subject to financing.
The company said it plans to build Baie-Comeau in modules tailored to the specific needs of OEMs and EV battery makers, including proper milling, shaping, and classification of graphite flakes, followed by purification and coating.
Northern Graphite shares rose 6.25% or $0.01 to 17 cents. The shares trade in a 52-week range of 64 cents and 16 cents.
NGC Battery Materials Group was formed through the acquisition of the assets and R&D team of the battery division of Germany’s Heraeus Group, and includes a fully-operational, state-of-the art laboratory in Frankfurt.
Northern Graphite has also licensed IP from Heraeus to develop, produce, and sell Porocarb, a high-performance porous carbon material developed over the past 10 years and patented by Heraeus to enhance the efficiency and speed of energy storage mechanisms.
NGC Battery Materials Group will be operated by Northern Graphite and financed by selling excess production capacity to partners and other material developers. Northern Graphite will pay Heraeus a 2.0% royalty on sales of all Porocarb products.
NGC Battery Materials Group will specialize in advanced material analytics and electrochemical characterization techniques for carbon and battery materials as well as providing in-depth expertise in the field of high-temperature processing, scale-up and carbon design.
This will enable Northern to provide tailored solutions to EV battery makers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to satisfy their various unique battery requirements.
Northern Graphite was in the news recently when it resumed processing ore at its Lac des Iles (LDI) graphite mine in Quebec amid rising market demand for the commodity.
Northern Graphite was focused on its Bissett Creek project in Ontario until its recent acquisition of a 100% interest in two graphite mines from French industrial minerals company Imerys Group for US$40 million, a move that Northern Graphite described as “transformational” for the company.
Those assets included LDI and the Okanjande graphite deposit/Okorusu processing plant in Namibia. The Namibian project was held by Imerys and a joint venture partner.