There should be some resolution of Graphite Sector Issues in the next few weeks.
Flake Wars- Tesla Contract hopefully will settle Fine vs Large/Jumbo in Spherical Use. It will also "confirm" that Spherical Value Adding will be done in the Row. As your depth research has found Names Little all Spherical comes from China at present 10kts for dragon domestic, 30kts for Export, mainly to Japan and Korea. Japan/Korea then do Synthetic coating for Battery Manufacture.
Anyway Natural Flake Demand for Batteries EV and Home Storage 2017/22 will have much more clarity when these Tesla Contracts issue.
Triton TON is not so very much involved/concerned by Tesla Contracts despite Tesla being a motivator to a lot of it's investors. EV battery demand being a mainstay of DYOR and their calculations of Billion$$ Market Cap potentials.
Anyhow in the next month some Reality Figures of Demand and Specifics price/tonne for what flake/purity will come to the Market. [Names domestic supply from Nth America appears to favour Mason's for some of it. Asbury COULD also get a part nod IMO my bet]
Anyhow of thee ASXers SYR of course thinks it's in with some chance. IMO think Tolga is really on the case to "salvage" the Syrian Flagship from it's tenuous non sale of all production 'status' at present.
Anyhow the Tesla Contracts are the Prestige "Gig" both for Who gets them and to give Validity to the Sector re New Demand 2017/22 for Flake Graphite from RoW mines.
Now Names Little some resolution of the Flake Wars has some other ramifications. Current Mines are producing way under Capacity. Existing Mines can gear up Production if/when there is any New Demand too. I've tried and tried to find current Suppliers of Larger Flake and have a list of
China/ nth sth Korea, Brazil, Madagascar. Thing is NL finding the tonnage actually consumed is the "problem".
Keep coming up with current World Consumption is only about 100kts. for example AMG in those recent Presentations put World Consumption of All Specialist Flake Graphite Value Added Graphite at only about 80kts with AMG providing 25% of that. Just writing from memory but DYOR Names Little AMG does 25% of Specialised Graphite Refining Production currently and that's about 25kts.
Keeps me awake at night, sometimes but also rocks me to sleep that I'm not 'doing' super pits.
Anyway the Financing Issue which I was looking for Third Party, "Auditor" Institutions giving Credibility to the Spin, Conjectures about the Graphite Sector by taking Offtakes, DFSss etc as Collateral for Loans still drags out but Banksters are like that {Dragon especially
]
Anyhow haven't answered your specific questions, Names Little but "Go" counter moved with
How Much /Volume is required of 'Scarce" Large/Jumbo ? It's Demand 2017/22 Increase, Could this be Supplied by Current Producing Mines ?
Names Little what's really needed is a increase/return of better Traditional Use of Flake Graphite Demand especially Flake substituting for Synthetic in STEEL and Aluminium anodes etc not just bleeding batteries.
That happening in conjunction with Import Replacement, is the "trick" IMO.
The Tesla Contract Issuing will be the most significant Macro Factor for the Graphite Sector. Tesla predominately CAUSED investors to "bubble" over new Graphite producers gunner bees so the actual figures/prices/ volume /sourcing of their New Demand is imminently due for release.
When? When? It's a secret but apparently any day it has to happen.
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