Graphite One Awarded $37.5M National Defense Grant for Feasibility Study

The total amount covered under the Technology Investment Agreement is approximately $75 million, with the company matching the grant amount to fund the accelerated completion of the feasibility study. DPA funding does not affect the permitting process for the Graphite One Project.

“The agreement with Graphite One (Alaska) is in furtherance of the Defense Department’s strategy for minerals and materials related to large-capacity batteries,” says Laura Taylor-Kale, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy. “This investment to increase domestic capabilities for graphite exemplifies Industrial Base Policy’s commitment to building a resilient industrial base to meet current and future national defense requirements.”

Huston thanked Taylor-Kale and the Biden administration for their support of the grant proposal, and he thanked Alaska’s congressional delegation for their support as well, including the DPA language that created the opportunity for national defense funding. He also thanked Governor Mike Dunleavy for nominating Graphite Creek as a High-Priority Infrastructure Project.

“Alaska is a resource powerhouse in a strategic position globally, with much more to offer than just our beautiful scenery and wildlife,” Dunleavy says. “Because of projects like Graphite One, we’ll continue to lead in producing natural resources like critical minerals and even oil and natural gas.”

Graphite has not been produced domestically since the ‘50s. The mineral was produced from the privately held land claim in the Kigluaik Mountains, 35 miles north of Nome, through the ‘40s.

The Graphite One project plan includes a battery anode manufacturing plant expected to be sited in Washington. The plan includes a recycling facility to reclaim graphite and other battery materials.