WA welcomes more critical minerals
Mining News Pro - International Graphite (IG6) has secured a site for its planned battery anode material manufacturing plant.
The company has signed an exclusive non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to negotiate a least over 20 hectares of land in the Coolangatta industrial precinct, 5km north-east of the Collie town centre.
Anode materials are typically made up of graphite and coated in copper foil. They are used primarily in lithium-ion batteries, an important step toward switching to green energy.
The new site marks a significant development for IG6 and its manufacturing plant plans.
“The land is cleared, well served by sealed roads and civil infrastructure, with ample space to accommodate our initial design and future expansion plans,” IG6 managing director and chief executive officer Andrew Worland said.
“Most importantly, it is only metres from the existing power network which gives us the opportunity to purchase energy at the lowest possible transmission cost.
“Collie is at the heart of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) – Western Australia’s primary power generation system – which delivers electricity to metropolitan Perth and into the mid west, south west and Kalgoorlie-Goldfields regions.”
The site has sufficient area to consider installation of a solar facility to further expand the renewable energy industry.
In May 2023, the Western Australian Government announced it would install one of the world’s biggest batteries at Collie to be operational before the end of 2025.
IG6 also has a non-binding MoU with Zen Energy, led by climate change economist Professor Ross Garnaut, which is assessing the feasibility of building a 200 megawatt (MW), 600 to 800MW/h battery at Collie.