Gratomic, a multinational graphite supplier, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UK-based investor platform Technology Metals Market (TM2) to supply graphite from the Aukam Graphite Project in Namibia as part of a project to industrialise graphite as a commodity.

Gratomic said it would supply 600 tonnes of SG16 uncoated and 1,200 tonnes of SG16 coated or uncoated graphite a month for the initial three months from the Aukam Graphite Plant officially entering commercial production, expected to be Q3 2022.

The processing plant at the Aukam Graphite Project was initially built to accommodate 20,000 tonnes of graphite annually. According to Gratomic, the over-engineering of the front and back end of the plant will allow it to ramp up capacity to 45,000 tonnes per annum.

In January 2022, Gratomic released a "tentative schedule" for the operational launch of the Aukam Graphite Project and that it is preparing to assign task operators, identify required resources and obtain management approvals.

The participants said TM2 is the world's first spot market where it is possible to directly invest in technology metals, describing it as a "one-stop-shop" for electric vehicle battery manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Armando Farhate, chief operating officer and head of graphite marketing and sales at Gratomic, said the partnership with TM2 is "bearing fruit at an incredible pace."

Peter Georgesson, TM2's chief executive officer, said the company intends to become "the landmark market for technology metals globally," with "full transparency."

"It's a new level of freedom and democracy both for investors and producers to get access to a direct trading market without any intermediaries and with the full transparency and accessible information regarding the sustainability requirements demanded by the public."