Ripples of last year’s power crunch in China are still being felt by global battery and electric-car makers.
A shortage of coal supplies caused by an Indonesian export ban, a trade war with major supplier Australia and a steep rise in post-COVID-19 domestic demand prompted local Chinese authorities to ration power to energy-intensive industries, including graphite.
The rolling power blackouts as well as the suspension of graphite production in winter further squeezed global graphite supply, already struggling to keep up with strong demand for lithium-ion batteries as global electric vehicle sales went through the roof.
As a result, the mineral, which has often been overlooked when it comes to battery materials, has added to the troubles of battery and car manufacturers, who have been scouring the planet to secure supplies of other battery constituents like lithium, nickel and cobalt.
