Ecograf????? @EGR

Good call @Rocket6 and also good call on EGR @Macca571 - their SP has risen +43.7% in the past 2 weeks - from 35.5 cps on October 1st to close at 51 cps today (Oct 14th). Another mining project developer company that's running. Although clearly EcoGraf is planning to be much more than just a graphite miner - I haven't had a look at them for a while but I do remember they got my interest when GNG (who I hold) got the LOI to design and build EGR's battery graphite facility in WA - see here: https://www.gres.com.au/news/article/13012020-120/ecograf-signs-gr-engineering-for-wa-battery-graphite-manufacturing-facility.aspx ...back in January 2020 - but EGR appear to have had some issues in the past 5 and a half years since then.

Commsec still says they are: "building an integrated battery anode materials business to produce high purity graphite products for the lithium-ion battery and advanced manufacturing markets."

Hopefully they get there and do it profitably. And they might now get a little help from the Australian government, at least for the Australian part of their operations.

@Macca571 @Bear77 I am not all that familiar with EGR. I think companies in the US (and to a lesser extent EU) are better placed, mainly due to govt support.

My thesis relates to the west needing to develop supply ex China for national security reasons. I don't subscribe to the view that anything made in China should be replaced, but critical materials used in batteries and defence are a no brainer. We are effectively seeing China weaponise their monopoly, having done this multiple times over the last decade but never more serious than today. But governments (and policy) need to help in a big way. One might question why I would invest in an industry that is propped up and/or reliant on government. It won't be forever, and I think taking a stab in perceived market leaders will have me handsomely rewarded in a few years.

Novonix remains my pick. Market-leading experts overseeing their IP, an existing factory based in a red state with (some) relevant equipment now installed, plans to increase capacity and generally the most advanced synthetic graphite company in the US. My bet is that the US government will back them, and they will continue to be supported by graphite-specific tariffs that protect them from dumping in China (external to Trump's bipolar tariff decisions). They will still need some help with funding, but one of the US DOE, JPMorgan or DOD will get them there with attractive lending opportunities.

Talga is my next best bet -- an integrated mine and anode project in Sweden, but they have been impacted by the slow moving EU. Additionally, government (and policy) support is unlikely to be as supportive as US equivalent. Similar to Australia, they also have a better relationship with China, which might impact how the EU transition to cleaner (more expensive) anode.

@Rocket6 will be an interesting year, Syrah (SYR) is also an interesting geopolitical play being the largest working deposit outside of China, with refining capacity coming online in the USA...

Another one to keep an eye on will be International Graphite $IG6. From my high-level understanding, they both mine and refine/process the graphite in Australia (WA) and send it off to whoever needs it.

Beyond that, I am not in a position to comment on the financials.

More info on their site

@Wakem & @Timocracy, add Talga (natural anode, EU) and Novonix (synthetic anode, US) to the list -- the latter is personally my favourite play in the graphite space. But I will be looking to establish a position in Talga in the coming weeks also. I think these are both undervalued by a market that is being darn' shortsighted. I am happy to wait; these will both likely be producing stacks of cash in five years' time and I think the risk/reward is favourable.

@Timocracy another local one to keep an eye on is Renascor (RNU), who have a manufacturing operation in SA with government support. Again, patience is required here, but it looks interesting.

Ah, yes @Rocket6 I've seen Talga kicking some goals lately. Also excited to see how they and Renascor translate that into printing money!

https://www.livewiremarkets.com/wires/commodity-predictions-for-2023-part-1

See prediction #2, a bull case for battery-grade graphite.