Echoing other ideas in this thread. How will the thirst for graphite be quenched in the near future with the increasing uptake of EVs and slowing /stopping of ice production.
If natural graphite (especially that outside China) is worthless (according to China), no one will start up a mine, no one will get funding to even explore. Why bother if you are expecting to produce at a loss. My guess is that something will give relatively soon.(either non Chinese off take partners set a price floor to secure supply, or price in China starts moving). There is going to be a huge demand for non Chinese, ESG certified battery minerals, graphite a big one. While we can only value our graphite against Chinese prices currently, I do not think this will be the case in the near future.
I guess it now lies with the off take agreement to see whether the penny has dropped with the companies involved that if they don't move soon, they will miss out on a safe, ESG compliant supply of graphite.
I am interested how this unfolds. And once again, I see the major failure here being the reversal of glabal electrification, something that I don't think will happen (and if it does I lose hope for human species)
