Modern Mining November 2022

statement is available for the permits, historical geo logical data and initial ground assessments suggest that the new permits have the potential to add two or three 18 000 tonnes per annum modular facilities for flake graphite production. This could therefore significantly add to the company’s currently planned 84 000 tpa capacity across the Vatomina and Sahamamy projects. “We are pleased to be acquiring additional per mits near our existing projects in Madagascar. It is our priority to increase ground in Madagascar along side other locations to preserve our long-term capacity targets and resource security, and these acquisitions can help us enhance our overall output from Madagascar by up to an additional 48 000 tpa in due course. It is our stated strategy to develop capacity of circa 8% of the global flake graphite mar ket or 400 000 tpa by 2030. Our intention is for 50% of that capacity to be in Madagascar to take advan tage of the favourable flake size distribution of its deposits. Acquisitions like this will be instrumental in enabling us to achieve our objective of becom ing one of the most significant players in graphite as global demand increases for this critical energy transition mineral,” said Poddar. Graphite production in Madagascar Madagascar is considered to host some of the world’s best graphite deposits, in terms of quality and size of resource. It was this that encouraged Tirupati Graphite to set its sights on the country and subsequently acquire the Sahamamy and Vatomina projects. Madagascar is the world’s fifth largest producer of graphite, containing the world’s third largest graphite reserves. Last year, the country produced 22 000 mt of graphite. The world’s top graphite producer remains

China, which leads the way significantly at 820 000 mt of graphite produced last year, fol lowed by Brazil with 68,000 mt, Mozambique with 30 000 mt, and Russia in fourth position with a pro duction rate of 27 000 mt. According to Poddar, as ide f rom being blessed with some of the finest graphite deposits, Madagascar has an attractive mining code, offering a 40-year mining permit and an extremely supportive government, which is focused on promoting its min ing sector to international investors. The country has well-established infrastructure, including a road network (the national highway NH2), which runs close to Tirupati Graphite’s two projects, Sahamamy and Vatomina. The highway connects the projects to the capi tal city of Antananarivo and the country’s main port

Tirupati’s Madagascar operations.

Tirupati Graphite develops, pilots, and implements bespoke

equipment that promotes sustainable operations.

November 2022  MODERN MINING  25