Falcon Energy Materials Advances Pilot Plant Construction as Three Customers Begin Graphite Sample Testing

Falcon Energy Materials plc has reached significant milestones in developing its pilot plant for coated spherical purified graphite production in Morocco, with three potential customers now evaluating sample batches as the facility remains on track for Q4 2025 commissioning. The progress represents a strategic move to establish large-scale battery anode material production outside China, addressing growing concerns about supply chain concentration in the electric vehicle industry.

The pilot plant at Jorf Lasfar near Casablanca is advancing through civil construction under Open Steel Structure Maroc S.A.R.L, with structural steel fabrication completed and delivery scheduled for late October. All major processing equipment has been installed at Hensen Graphite & Carbon Corporation's facility in China, with shipment to Morocco expected in November 2025. This timeline keeps the project firmly on schedule for fourth-quarter completion next year.

First CSPG samples have been produced in two distinct specifications tailored to customer requirements, with 50-kilogram batches currently under evaluation by three major potential customers. The pilot plant has been fully commissioned and tested at Hensen's facility in China to ensure optimized performance before relocation. Falcon expects to operate the pilot plant throughout October 2025 ahead of shipment to Morocco for final commissioning.

The Moroccan location provides strategic advantages for serving global battery markets, offering direct access to world-class port infrastructure, competitive operating costs, and proximity to both European and North American markets. The pilot plant is being developed within the industrial complex of Falcon's strategic partner Fluoralpha S.A. at Jorf Lasfar, one of Morocco's most advanced industrial hubs. This positioning could help diversify the global battery supply chain currently dominated by Chinese production.

Matthieu Bos, CEO of Falcon, stated that the pilot plant represents a pivotal milestone not just for sample production but for advancing toward establishing a major anode production facility outside China. The company is actively testing several high-quality graphite feedstock sources to ensure scalable, reliable supply for growing operations. The pilot plant progress marks a key step toward securing long-term offtake agreements for Falcon's proposed 25,000-tonnes-per-annum commercial scale anode facility.

The development comes as global demand for battery materials continues to surge with electric vehicle adoption, creating urgency for diversified supply chains. Falcon's integrated business model aims to create a mine-to-market active anode material producer, combining a high-purity graphite production mine in Guinea with value-added conversion in Morocco. The company's progress can be tracked through updates on their website at https://www.falconem.net, while regulatory filings are available through SEDAR+ at https://www.sedarplus.ca.

This advancement in battery material production capacity outside China could significantly impact electric vehicle manufacturers seeking supply chain resilience and European and North American markets looking to reduce dependency on single-source suppliers. The successful development of alternative graphite production facilities represents a critical step in building a more robust and geographically diverse battery ecosystem to support the global transition to electric transportation.