Graphite One (TSX-V:GPH) has advanced permitting for its proposed active anode materials (AAM) plant in Ohio after state regulators accepted its air permit application for technical review.
The company says the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) has deemed the application for the proposed Conneaut facility complete, allowing it to move into the next stage of the permitting process.
“Acceptance into technical review reflects the quality of the work completed by G1’s engineering and permitting teams,” Chief Operating Officer Mike Schaffner says.
“We appreciate the Ohio EPA’s review and remain focused on advancing the project efficiently towards construction.”
The milestone follows Graphite One’s selection of the Conneaut site in May through a licence of occupation agreement with Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Company, a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway (TSX:CNR).
The facility is designed to produce synthetic active anode materials used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, and other applications.
Ohio production plans
Initial production is planned at about 10,000 tonnes a year, expanding to 25,000 tonnes annually.
The Ohio facility forms part of Graphite One’s vertically integrated US supply chain strategy, anchored by its Graphite Creek project in Alaska.
According to the US Geological Survey, Graphite Creek hosts the largest graphite resource in the United States. A technical report outlines a proposed 20-year open-pit mine capable of producing about 175,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate a year.
Graphite One says the Ohio facility and Graphite Creek project are being advanced independently under its phased development strategy.
“Today’s milestone is another demonstration of the disciplined execution of our strategy to build the first fully integrated domestic US graphite supply chain,” President and CEO Anthony Huston says.
Subject to permitting, regulatory approvals and financing, the company expects to begin synthetic AAM production in Ohio in Q4 2027, with natural graphite production from Graphite Creek targeted for 2029.
Graphite One aims to become an American producer of high-grade anode materials that is integrated with a domestic graphite resource.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Graphite One
