The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Carlos Zacarias, defended the use of locally mined graphite to boost the production of vehicle batteries, a growing demand in the international market.
During a visit to the graphite production plant of the Twigg Exploration & Mining company, Zacarias highlighted the importance of processing graphite locally, saying that this would encourage battery production in Mozambique, creating jobs and boosting socio-economic development.
He stressed that the company is prepared to operate to the standards required nationally and internationally, following the positive impression gained during the visit.
The graphite produced at the plant is exported to China, and there are plans to expand to the United States of America. Twigg Exploration & Mining is a subsidiary of the Australian group Syrah Resources, which explores graphite at the Balama mine in Cabo Delgado province. The company has invested around 494 million dollars to date.
The Balama mine began commercial production more than five years ago and was highlighted in December 2021, when Syrah announced an agreement with electric vehicle multinational Tesla.
