TSX-V-listed Northern Graphite has resumed processing ore at Lac des Iles (LDI), North America’s only producing graphite mine, on the back of rising market demand. “What we saw starting in the third quarter was that customers were really coming off the sidelines to secure supply for the year after a hiatus in the first half,” said Northern CEO Hugues Jacquemin. Last month, China also announced it would start imposing controls this December on certain graphite exports used in battery making, which will further drive supply concerns. Jacquemin said that Northern had immediate capacity available to supply the market and that it had the ability to scale quickly its Okanjande mine in Namibia. “As the only producer of graphite in North America, we are in a critical position, more than ever, to service graphite demand from North American battery makers,” said Jacquemin.
