only a few companies will make it, page-22

Hey shimmer this was the story in the Port Lincoln times this morning, all this bodes well for other graphite plays here on EP, especially having a high tech processing plant being built in Adelaide......

PRODUCTION and sale of graphite from the Uley
Graphite Mine is only a few months away
Plans to restart the Uley Graphite Mine have experi-
enced delays while the project has undergone a restructure.
Canadian company Mega Graphite is in the process of
acquiring the mine from Strategic Energy Resources (SER).

Mega will run the mine and sell the graphite, paying SER
and its shareholders ongoing royalties.
The new agreement is a lucrative option for both companies
and their shareholders, according to Mega managing director
Chris Darby.
Mr Darby said SER shareholders now received 50 per cent
of Mega and a cash payment while V Mega delivered the
expertise to bring the mine online and sell the graphite.
"That restructure means that we’ve had to adjust our time-
lines for the restart of operations at Uley slightly,” he said.
Site preparation including road upgrades is complete, with
the processing facility upgrade to take place and production to begin later in the year.
Mega Graphite is due to be listed on the Canadian stock
exchange on August 31.
The company is also putting in place plans for a high-purity
production plant in South Australia to value-add to the
graphite.
"High-purity graphite is used in many new technologies,
including the batteries for the next generation of electric vehicles,” Mr Darby said.
Mr Darby said the delay had given the company time to edu-
cate customers across the Asia Pacific, mainly Japan, Korea,
Taiwan and Indonesia, about the graphite product and find
out what they needed.
"The demand for the quality of graphite we’re going to be producing is very strong." ·
The Uley deposit was mined intermittently until 1993.
VVhen in operation the original plant was capable of produc-
ing up to 14,000 tonnes a year.
Mega aims to progressively build up to 25,000 tonnes a year,
to make the project one of the w0rld’s largest operations outside of China.

By Natasha Ewendt