Graphite One (TSX-V:GPH) has secured a site for its anode active materials facility in Ohio, US, while continuing to advance toward development plans and customer qualification.
The site — located in Conneaut, Ashtabula — was secured through a licence of occupation agreement with Canadian National Railway’s subsidiary Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Company.
Graphite One says the site provides it with several strategic advantages. These include direct access to the Lake Erie and the Great Lakes shipping corridor, multi-line rail connectivity, existing power infrastructure, and capacity for future expansion and scaling.
Due diligence activities will be carried out on the site, subject to Graphite One’s satisfactory review and proceeding with formalising a lease agreement.
COO Mike Schaffner says the site positions the company to efficiently move material and expand production capacity as market demand develops.
As a result of this new opportunity, Graphite One has decided to terminate the current lease on the Warren Property to focus its efforts on the Conneaut location.
Path to production
Graphite One is advancing development plans for the anode active materials facility, with construction targeted for completion in Q4 2027. The facility is expected to have an initial production capacity of 10,000 tonnes annually.
During phase one, 4,000 tonnes of energy storage material is expected to be achieved, as well as 3,000 tonnes of fast-charging material and 3,000 tonnes of high-energy density material.
These materials intend to be used in lithium-ion battery applications supporting electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, and emerging data centre infrastructure demand.
CEO Anthony Huston says the company has a defined path from site control through development to production and customer engagement.
“Our objective is to establish a vertically integrated, US-based supply chain capable of supporting long-term North American battery demand,” Huston says.
In conjunction with phase one production, Graphite One is evaluating a second-phase expansion that would target construction completion in Q3 2028 and achieve a graphitisation capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year.
The expansion would further position the company as a potential domestic supplier of active anode materials at a time when North American supply chains continue to seek localised sources of critical battery inputs.
Graphite One’s development strategy links its downstream manufacturing capabilities in Ohio with its Graphite Creek resource in Alaska, identified by the US Geological Survey as the largest graphite deposit in the US and among the largest globally.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Graphite One
