On Friday, Jan. 30, Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo officially commissioned the start of graphite production at the country’s Nipepe mine in the country’s north, marking his nation’s official entry into the resource benefaction business, which fact Chapo did not fail to take notice. “Today we are entering the world’s industrial map,” he told Reuters, adding, “We are no longer a supplier of raw materials, but a producer, processor and exporter of materials.”
The plant is expected to produce 200,000 metric tons of graphite per year, not an insignificant amount with annual global production (dominated by China) standing at 1.6 million metric tons. The $20 billion plant is said to have been initiated in 2014. Graphite, a highly refined, crystalline form of carbon (coal), has numerous industrial applications, including use as a high-temperature lubricant in the production of steel; as a radar-impervious coating for stealth aircraft; and use in EVs and cell phones.
