The US currently produces no graphite, and many are wondering if graphite mining in the US will happen. Here’s an overview of the situation.
The establishment of a US graphite-mining industry has enjoyed increased interest in recent years thanks to expected growth in demand for electric vehicles.
China is the top producer of graphite by far, but for various reasons it’s not particularly easy or desirable to invest in companies mining graphite there.
Many investors are instead looking to North America for graphite opportunities, especially since Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) announcement that it plans to source the lithium, graphite and cobalt it needs for its Nevada-based gigafactory from companies working on the continent. In 2015, Tesla backed up that statement by signing two lithium supply deals with companies whose projects are in North America.