London-listed Blencowe Resources has reported that American Energy Technologies (AETC) and other SAFELOOP project partners have continued their testwork using natural flake graphite from Blencowe’s Orom-Cross graphite project, in Uganda.  

AETC has been designing an enhanced electric vehicle (EV) anode predominantly using natural flake graphite instead of synthetic graphite, which Blencowe says may have notable consequences ahead on battery makeup and flake graphite demand.

Project SAFELOOP is the EU’s flagship Gen3 battery initiative for which Blencowe’s Orom-Cross graphite project has been selected as the exclusive supplier of natural flake graphite.

SAFELOOP is a three-year programme funded by the EU's €100-billion Project Horizon energy transition initiative, focused on developing a next-generation lithium-ion battery that delivers improved safety, sustainability and high performance, while strengthening Europe's control over its critical mineral supply chains.

Blencowe was invited to participate in SAFELOOP as the exclusive supplier of all natural flake graphite owing to the high quality of graphite at Orom-Cross. 

The company says the strategic importance of Orom-Cross within SAFELOOP positions it to secure premium offtake demand directly into the EU from 2028 onwards – one of the few bulk-quantity European sales routes that is available in the graphite sector.

The company points out that various milestones have been achieved from January to May.

Firstly, Orom-Cross graphite was purified to 99.98 weight percentage of carbon using AETC's proprietary inverted flow sheet process. 

Blencowe says this grade is considered premium quality within the industry and opens further opportunities for sales into defence applications and other niche markets.

Additionally, the company notes that AETC manufactured a next-generation EV anode with over 68% natural flake graphite sourced solely from Orom-Cross, offering a greener, high-performance alternative to predominantly synthetic graphite within the anode.

For reference, EVs typically employ synthetic graphite anodes.

Blencowe's natural graphite, owing to its qualities, is positioned to replace the synthetic graphite and become an enabling technology which will see the natural graphite-dominant anode commercialised in the EV market, the company says. 

Blencowe expresses that this is significant as it would lead to substantially more natural flake graphite used in the anode, with Orom-Cross as a major source.

Moreover, pilot plant batches of the anode were submitted to SAFELOOP industrial partners for trialling and evaluation. Blencowe says test results to date have exceeded performance benchmarks in all aspects along the battery chain evolution.

Blencowe COO Iain Wearing recently presented the Orom-Cross graphite project to the SAFELOOP General Assembly in Nyborg, Denmark, where the project was recognised as a strategically important resource that is aligned with the EU's critical battery minerals supply-chain objectives.

As a direct result of this engagement, the company says it is now engaged in multiple new offtake discussions with SAFELOOP consortium members and other EU-based industrial battery partners.

"SAFELOOP is a unique and highly strategic Western offtake opportunity. Tier 1 partners such as SAFELOOP are few and far between, particularly with the scope for offtaking large volumes at premium pricing, and we are excited to be chosen as the exclusive supplier of graphite into a project of this scale and this calibre,” says Blencowe executive chairperson Cameron Pearce.

He describes the test work being done at present as “revolutionary", saying it may result in natural flake graphite replacing much of the synthetic graphite currently used in EV anodes.

“This is entirely due to Orom-Cross' high-quality end-product, and it would be ground-breaking within the industry as it would lead to more sustainable EV batteries produced.

"SAFELOOP's projected graphite requirements are substantial - enough to make it a potential cornerstone offtaker for Orom-Cross as both projects ramp up to commercial scale levels.

“Just as importantly, because SAFELOOP testing has been conducted exclusively using our graphite, we are building a unique and dedicated sales channel that peers simply cannot replicate,” Pearce states.