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Released September 11, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Exxon Mobil Corporation (Spring, Texas) is wading into the growing market for synthetic graphite, a crucial element in the development of lithium-ion batteries. Its recently announced agreement to acquire the technology and U.S.-based assets of Superior Graphite Company (Chicago, Illinois) reflects growing interest among U.S.-based companies in the resource. Industrial Info is tracking more than $9 billion worth of active and proposed projects involving graphite development, both natural and synthetic, across the U.S.
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing top 10 companies for U.S.-based graphite projects, by total investment.
In announcing its acquisition of Superior Graphite, ExxonMobil said the move is part of a broader strategy "to build a robust, synthetic graphite supply chain, right here in the U.S." Graphite is the primary anode material in lithium-ion batteries, where its electrical conductivity and thermal stability allow it to store and release lithium ions; its synthetic form is made partly by heat-treating carbon-based materials (such as petroleum coke) at extremely high temperatures.
Industrial Info is tracking progress at three operational plants owned by Superior Graphite, including its plant in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where the company announced in 2023 it would produce anode materials to meet the accelerating demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage North America and Europe. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant and Project databases can read detailed profiles of the plants in Hopkinsville; Chicago, Illinois; and Bedford Park, Illinois.
"Synthetic graphite is a game-changer," ExxonMobil said in a press release. "Compared to traditional mining operations, it's less labor-intensive, more consistent in quality, and can be made with our carbon-rich feedstocks from existing refining streams. What does that mean in plain English? That we can scale faster and smarter, all while producing a better graphite than what is available in the market today."
One of the highest-valued synthetic graphite projects moving toward construction in the U.S. is Birla Carbon USA Incorporated's (Marietta, Georgia) $1 billion battery materials plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina, which is designed to produce 25,000 tons per year of the material. According to the office of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who backed the project, the facility's graphite will support at least 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery capacity.
Birla Carbon is a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group (Mumbai, India). Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.
Projects already under construction include Anovion Technologies' (Chicago) $800 million battery materials plant in Bainbridge, Georgia, which is expected to produce 44,100 tons per year of synthetic graphite. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
Anovion's project, which was awarded a $117 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in October 2022, is the first of this scale for the company. Anovion cited the location's proximity to battery and EV manufacturing plants as a significant factor in choosing Bainbridge for the site.
Westwater Resources Incorporated (Centennial, Colorado) is in the final stages of construction on its $271 million Coosa Graphite Purification Plant in Kellyton, Alabama, which is designed to produce 3,700 tons per year of coated spherical graphite and 3,800 tons per year of micronized flake graphite.
Westwater said in a recent quarterly earnings-related press release that its Kellyton project has received 85% of equipment needed for a full startup and that its key work streams have advanced, including connections to the power grid and the installation, commissioning and startup of the first micronizing and spheroidizing mills.
The Kellyton project could be followed next year by a second phase that would add 15,000 tons per year of coated spherical graphite and 16,600 tons per year of micronized flake graphite. Subscribers can learn more from detailed reports on Phase I and the proposed Phase II.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for active and proposed graphite-related projects across the U.S.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Click on the image at right for a graph detailing top 10 companies for U.S.-based graphite projects, by total investment.In announcing its acquisition of Superior Graphite, ExxonMobil said the move is part of a broader strategy "to build a robust, synthetic graphite supply chain, right here in the U.S." Graphite is the primary anode material in lithium-ion batteries, where its electrical conductivity and thermal stability allow it to store and release lithium ions; its synthetic form is made partly by heat-treating carbon-based materials (such as petroleum coke) at extremely high temperatures.
Industrial Info is tracking progress at three operational plants owned by Superior Graphite, including its plant in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where the company announced in 2023 it would produce anode materials to meet the accelerating demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage North America and Europe. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Plant and Project databases can read detailed profiles of the plants in Hopkinsville; Chicago, Illinois; and Bedford Park, Illinois.
"Synthetic graphite is a game-changer," ExxonMobil said in a press release. "Compared to traditional mining operations, it's less labor-intensive, more consistent in quality, and can be made with our carbon-rich feedstocks from existing refining streams. What does that mean in plain English? That we can scale faster and smarter, all while producing a better graphite than what is available in the market today."
One of the highest-valued synthetic graphite projects moving toward construction in the U.S. is Birla Carbon USA Incorporated's (Marietta, Georgia) $1 billion battery materials plant in Orangeburg, South Carolina, which is designed to produce 25,000 tons per year of the material. According to the office of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who backed the project, the facility's graphite will support at least 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery capacity.
Birla Carbon is a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group (Mumbai, India). Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.
Projects already under construction include Anovion Technologies' (Chicago) $800 million battery materials plant in Bainbridge, Georgia, which is expected to produce 44,100 tons per year of synthetic graphite. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report.
Anovion's project, which was awarded a $117 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in October 2022, is the first of this scale for the company. Anovion cited the location's proximity to battery and EV manufacturing plants as a significant factor in choosing Bainbridge for the site.
Westwater Resources Incorporated (Centennial, Colorado) is in the final stages of construction on its $271 million Coosa Graphite Purification Plant in Kellyton, Alabama, which is designed to produce 3,700 tons per year of coated spherical graphite and 3,800 tons per year of micronized flake graphite.
Westwater said in a recent quarterly earnings-related press release that its Kellyton project has received 85% of equipment needed for a full startup and that its key work streams have advanced, including connections to the power grid and the installation, commissioning and startup of the first micronizing and spheroidizing mills.
The Kellyton project could be followed next year by a second phase that would add 15,000 tons per year of coated spherical graphite and 16,600 tons per year of micronized flake graphite. Subscribers can learn more from detailed reports on Phase I and the proposed Phase II.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.
Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for active and proposed graphite-related projects across the U.S.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
