Green Critical Minerals accelerates commissioning of graphite block pilot plant

Green Critical Minerals says commissioning of VHD graphite block pilot plant underway
Blocks have applications in data centres, defence, semiconductor and nuclear industries
Initial prototypes to be produced later this month

Special Report: Green Critical Minerals has begun commissioning of a pilot plant in NSW to produce very high density – or VHD – graphite blocks for use as heat sinks in the high performance computing sector and solar-thermal energy storage systems.

The VHD blocks can be used in materials for the defence and nuclear industries, electrical discharge machining, thermal energy storage, electronics, aerospace, semiconductors and heat sink appliances.

That takes GCM beyond the currently faltering battery metals supply chain, where prices of a host of commodities have come off the boil due to faltering economic growth in China and oversupply.

The promise of the process is that it can produce block graphite in just 24-36 hours at around half the temperature (1500C v 2900C) of the primary synthetic graphite process.

The commissioning was originally slated to begin in Q2 CY25, but Green Critical Minerals (ASX:GCM) says strategic equipment selection and procurement, along with continuous work over the Christmas and New Year period has enabled it to “significantly accelerate construction activities.”

This is mainly due to the design of the pilot plant comprising of two lines, with the smaller product line (Line 1) having allowed accelerated equipment souring and delivery.

Line 1 is capable of producing graphite blocks suitable for customer qualification of heat sink products for the electronics market and product refinement and research and development activities, such as the solar-thermal energy storage blocks for the renewables sector.

First production by February

All equipment has now been received and construction activities for Line 1 are complete, with the second phase, or wet commissioning, now underway.

This puts the company on track for production of the initial prototype blocks this month, with first qualification blocks due in February 2025 – well ahead of the original Q3 FY25 forecast.

“I am delighted to be able to announce that our VHD pilot plant has entered commissioning well ahead of schedule, significantly accelerating our project timeline,” GCM managing director Clinton Booth said.

“This achievement represents a pivotal milestone in our mission to commercialise our VHD graphite technology, paving the way for transformative opportunities in the renewable energy and high-performance electronics sectors.

“The progress we’ve made is incredibly encouraging, and as we prepare to deliver our first product samples, we are excited to demonstrate their potential across industries such as high-performance electronics, aerospace, defence, and advanced manufacturing, where their unique properties can drive innovation and efficiency.

“With Wet Commissioning now underway, we look forward to updating the market in the coming weeks as we advance towards producing our first samples in early Q1 2025 and showcasing the full potential of our VHD graphite technology.”

All the equipment for the larger product line has also been received, with that line capable of producing larger quantities of VHD Technology graphite blocks for the heat sink market, blocks for the electrical discharge machining (EDM) market; and larger blocks for the solar-thermal demonstration plant.

Looking forwards, commercialisation and ramp up is slated for Q1 FY26 – subject to the success of the pilot plant.

This article was developed in collaboration with Green Critical Minerals, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.