BTR started phase one production at its battery anode facility situated within the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Central Sulawesi Province. 

The facility was developed in two phases as a JV between BTR New Materials (70%) and Stellar Investment (30%), a subsidiary of Tsingshan. BTR hosted an inauguration ceremony on 7 August to commemorate the synthetic graphite active anode material (AAM) production line that came online with a capacity of 80ktpy.  The company will invest a further US$299M towards phase two expansion to increase the facility's capacity to 160ktpy.

Earlier this year, PT Indonesia BTR executed a 30ktpy supply agreement with Syrah Resources and received a bulk shipment of 10kt graphite fines from Syrahs Balama mine in Mozambique. The natural graphite feed will be used to make the company's natural-synthetic anode blend, with a decrease in synthetic prices allowing the producer to raise its ratio of synthetic graphite in their battery anode blends.

This is BTR’s first graphite anode facility outside of China making it important for the company’s material to enter alternative supply chains, including the USA. However, this could potentially be a temporary solution, given that Indonesia has no free trade agreement (FTA) with the USA. Once the US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) deadline for complying with sourcing restrictions for certain battery raw materials ends in 2027, the AAM material from BTR’s Indonesia facility would also be considered non-compliant and not qualify for US subsidies.

In a strategic move from BTR, the company has recently announced an investment of US$366.5M to build an anode materials facility in Morocco (FTA partner). The facility will be located in Tangier Technology City and have a production capacity of 60ktpy AAM, with construction expected to be completed within two years. According to BTR’s parent company, China Boan Group, the company is already negotiating an offtake agreement with Ford Motor for AAM from the Moroccan facility, with Ford required to make a prepayment of US$120M. Should the IRS exemption not be extended, the Moroccan facility will still be IRA compliant, placing BTR in a vital position to continue graphite exports to the USA battery anode market.