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Spherical graphite, Jixi, Heilongjiang
Jixi, China45.30°N 130.97°E
computed criticality37/100
reading
>99% of world graphite spheronisation in China; licences since Dec. 2023
2024Fault line
Less than 1% of uncoated spherical graphite is produced outside China, which put battery-grade graphite under export licences on 1 December 2023. Even Mozambican graphite from Balama has to pass through this Chinese step or through Syrah's sole Western plant in Louisiana. The anode link remains the most concentrated in the whole battery chain.
→Stable2035
In 2025 China accounts for ≈82% of natural graphite and dominates anode material (≈90%) and graphitization (≈98%); the IEA projects 'slow' refining diversification, with the top-3 share easing only from 86% (2024) to 82% by 2035, despite emerging non-Chinese spherical-graphite lines.AIE, Global Critical Minerals Outlook, 2025 ↗
Actors
BTR New Material (Shenzhen)
Shanshan (Ningbo)
Syrah Vidalia (Louisiana, alternative)
Depends on 1
Syrah Resources Balama, Cabo DelgadoCritical Metals · Link↗Feeds 1
CATL, NingdeGrids & Energy↗Shocks endured
Balama at a standstill, non-China graphite freezesDec 12, 2024↗Sources