Talga begins construction of its Vittangi graphite anode plant in Luleå, Sweden, following environmental approvals and building permits from the Swedish Land and Environment Court.

The plant will be part of Talga’s integrated graphite mine and anode refinery operation, with an initial production capacity of 19.5ktpy graphite battery anodes. The company has signed non-binding offtake agreements set to start in 2026 for the supply of active anode material (AAM) with Verkor SA and Automotive Cells Company (ACC) SE. According to the agreements, Verkor will receive AAM over 4 to 8 years and ACC will receive 60kt AAM over 5 years.

Additionally, Talga plans on expanding its plant's total production capacity to 1,450ktpy anode material by 2030 and has reportedly discovered additional graphite resources at its Vittangi graphite mine (Nunasvaara and Niska deposits) with the potential to increase its graphite output.

Recently European investments in the battery industry for natural graphite anode material have been increasing, with the development of greenfield projects including Beowulf Mining’s Grafintec Graphite Anode Materials Plant (GAMP) in Finland, Mineral Commodities MRC Anode Refinery in Norway, and Leading-Edge Materials Woxna Refinery in Sweden. If successful, all these facilities, including Talga’s plant could be part of the first cohort of integrated commercial natural graphite anode plants supplying the growing domestic lithium-ion battery demand in Europe. However, in the interim, imported Asian graphite anodes will still be utilised for Europe’s anode battery sector and the growing capacity for synthetic graphite in China will add competition for the natural graphite route.