n January 17 Investing News reported: Graphite outlook 2022:...

n January 17 Investing News reported:
Graphite outlook 2022: Demand from battery segment to remain high... In 2022, Wood Mackenzie is expecting to see very strong growth in batteries, while most traditional steel-based applications will see much slower growth because of slowdown in the Chinese market... Benchmark Mineral Intelligence data shows demand for natural graphite from the battery segment amounted to 400,000 tonnes in 2021, with that number expected to scale up to 3 million tonnes by 2030. Demand for synthetic graphite came to about 300,000 tonnes in 2021, and is expected to increase to 1.5 million tonnes by 2030... By volume, graphite is one of the most important elements in any EV battery ― there are between 50 and 100 kilograms of graphite, whether synthetic or natural, present within each vehicle... "We can really see the sector growing progressively to around 15 times the demand we see today by 2030"... "The primary limitation here is that the mesh size inputs for the battery supply chain must be fine to medium flake," Miller said, adding that consistency and high purity, somewhere around 94 to 95 percent carbon, are also key... Wood Mackenzie believes prices will continue to rise early on in the year... "Prices could then ease somewhat in the middle of the year before rising again with winter shutdowns... In the longer term, prices are expected to continue rising with increasing demand and a tightening market, until new capacity can be brought online."