Birla Carbon plans $1 billion synthetic graphite plant in South Carolina

Birla Carbon is moving forward with a $1 billion plant in South Carolina to produce synthetic graphite, an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The Indian firm received a $150 million grant for the project from the US Department of Energy in September. Birla says it will use a new manufacturing process that consumes less energy than conventional graphite production methods. Firms in China produce nearly 70% of the world’s synthetic graphite and process virtually all natural graphite materials, according to the research firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Last year, the Chinese government imposed restrictions on graphite exports. Companies in the US produce about 5% of the world’s synthetic graphite and no natural graphite. Several other firms are also trying to increase US graphite production. Anovion Technologies began building an $800 million synthetic graphite plant in Georgia last year, and Epsilon Advanced Materials is planning a $650 million synthetic graphite plant in North Carolina. Firms are also investing in natural graphite processing plants in Alabama, Louisiana, and other locations.