There were discussions about who outside China, produces...

There were discussions about who outside China, produces synthetic graphite and how much. I recall the info was sparse and I do think many were doing this outside China (especially since most of the graphite is processed in China).

At the end of the day you can use renewable energy to make synthetic, but renewable energy is also not that cheap, and when you look at energy consuming footprint, natural is far ahead. At some point when graphite needs to be sourced from outside China, (Western battery makers will be trying to secure at least some sources of battery minerals outside China - at least the smart ones) it will likely be natural graphite due to the lower environmental impact (even if it's produced with renewable, the impact on environment goes beyond producing Co2). And I am guessing a western country cannot produce synthetic cheaper than digging it out if the ground, even at the price it was 12 months ago.
Lots of fear in the market, lots of doubt. What we have on our side is we are not reliant on China as a buyer, our buyer wants graphite that is secure and stable. They will (imo) pay a premium for it. Right now, with the dip in battery mineral prices (which imo is also somewhat manipulated) the current buyers are trying to squeeze producers. I think in a short time they maybe regret they didn't jump in and secure supply sooner. But that's just my opinion. Once things turn, they will be scrambling. All imo, things can turn very quickly and the sp can turn even faster once the big boys start buying properly again.