Apr. 25, 2017 - In December of 2016, Imerys Graphite & Carbon and Gecko Namibia formed a Joint Venture (JV) to develop the Namibian Otjiwarongo site, for the production of natural graphite that can be used in different applications, including lithium-ion batteries for electrical vehicles.

Following the original plan, production in Namibia begins in early 2017 and product sampling is already available. The new product line is comparable to the one in use at Imerys Graphite & Carbon’s Lac-Des-Îles site in Canada. Both sources have very similar high quality ore, with abounding large flake content (+50 and + 80 mesh), easy to extract, process and deliver.

On April 23, 2017, Imerys Graphite & Carbon announced that they have produced first bag of Natural Graphite from Namibia new mine right on time!

Imerys Graphite & Carbon has a strong history in the production of high quality natural and synthetic graphite powders, conductive carbon blacks, and water-based dispersions. Imerys Graphite & Carbon belongs to Imerys, the world leader in mineral-based specialties for industry. The company’s core values include high standards in terms of employees’ health & safety, social behaviour and environmental responsibility.

About the JV partner,Gecko Graphite Namibia 

Gecko Graphite Namibia has a long and successful track record in the African mining and mineral processing market. In Namibia, where natural graphite occurrences have been known for many decades, Gecko invested heavily in geologic prospection and modelling in order to consolidate the graphite mining potential in the region of Otjiwarongo. Imerys Graphite & Carbon joined Gecko as controlling party, contributing with technical and marketing expertise on natural graphite.