The property it has sought, according to Northern officials, involves the design, construction and operation of the fluidised bed reactor that is arterial to its chlorine-based process for purifying graphite.

The terms of the deal indicate that Hatch will offer engineering, design and technical support, and also share in royalties and revenues that could stem from licensing the technology to third parties.

Northern said that its process has been lab tested extensively at a bench scale. A next step is the construction of a pilot plant to further evaluate performance and refine capital and operating costs.

CEO Gregory Bowes noted that the development of the cost competitive, environmentally sustainable technology for the issue of purification has been possible because of Hatch’s expertise and IP.

“Northern’s technology provides the opportunity to build and/or license anode material manufacturing plants in the west [western hemisphere], in parallel with the development of our Bissett Creek graphite deposit,” he said. 

The pair did not indicate financial details of the agreement or if the licensing was for any specific length of time.