A Memorandum of Understanding to set up a joint venture was signed between the Australian mining company Battery Minerals and US graphite company, Urbix, for its graphite mine in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.The agreement with Urbix includes developing an environmentally friendly graphite purification facility in Mozambique. According to a statement from the company, graphite mined at the company’s Montepuez graphite project would be purified using Urbix’s proprietary technology and system.
Battery Minerals’ Managing Director Jeremy Sinclair was upbeat about the growth in demand for graphite due to the soaring demand of lithium batteries. The proposed joint venture with Urbix he added is expected to enable the company to capitalise on the demand for graphite concentrate and other higher-margin processed products .
To cut down the company’s capital expenditure, Battery Minerals also announced that it is on the lookout for contractors for both mining operations and the provision of electricity. Sinclair remarked that “we believe there is excellent potential to reduce the cost of developing Montepuez through a partnership approach with contractors”.
