graphite anodes? , page-45

" Or is local Graphite cost effective and freely available as well now?"

Hard to say, but the little information coming out of China (that doesn't require you spending thousands of dollars subscription fees) is graphite isn't moving, exports are down and so are prices.  One would assume therefore they do have excess supply.  Whether their graphite is of the quality needed, particularly low sulphur,  is another question.

The Aluminium industry has been trying, for the past decade or more, to find commercially viable substitutes for calcined petroleum coke to use in the manufacture and utilisation of aluminium smelter anodes.  Rusal, and others have been working on "inert" anodes.  Chalco has also been working on alternatives, and that is why everyone got excited when the MOU was initially announced saying the Chinalco group intended using SYR graphite in the fabrication of anodes - something that had not been done before and it would open up a whole new industry for graphite.

Why Chalco has stopped ordering calcined coke for their anode plants is not clear - maybe it is as simple as excess inventory, or trying to drive the price down (as the article suggests), and then again it maybe something else.  Worth keeping an eye on.