Rockingham is set to house a multi-million-dollar downstream processing facility that will support Western Australia’s growing battery minerals industry, after an agreement was signed between DevelopmentWA and EcoGraf (Australia) Limited (EcoGraf) this week.
EcoGraf has signed an option to lease on two lots in the Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area (SIA), with plans to develop a graphite processing facility in two stages.
The development, occupying 6.7 hectares, is expected to commence construction in mid-2021 and create up to 200 construction jobs and 75 ongoing operational jobs once complete.
EcoGraf owns a patented state-of-the-art, eco-friendly graphite purification process, catering to strong demand in global markets for environmentally responsible battery-grade spherical graphite.
Production capacity for Stage 1 of the proposed Rockingham facility is 5,000 tonnes of battery-grade spherical graphite per annum, increasing to 20,000 tonnes per annum with the completion of Stage 2.
Rockingham SIA was selected as the site of the proposed facility due to its existing infrastructure, access to global markets, and recent lithium developments and related activity in the Rockingham-Kwinana region.
Premier and Rockingham MLA Mark McGowan said the move supports the State Government’s Future Battery Industry Strategy, which aims to grow the emerging sector in WA and transform it into a significant source of economic development, diversification, jobs and skills.
“Importantly, this proposed multi-million-dollar investment comes just two months after the opening of Alloy Road unlocked new strategic industrial land.”
“This is another demonstration of the great work done by the Industrial Lands Authority facilitate to industry growth and investment in WA.”
Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston added that the demand for battery minerals in electric vehicles and battery storage systems has created an exciting opportunity for Western Australia, “which has the fourth-largest reserves of graphite in the world”.