The battery boom is reviving US graphite mining after decades of dormancy

The US is betting on domestic graphite to reduce reliance on China

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In a nutshell: As the US government focuses on industrial independence, companies like Titan are testing whether the long-dormant American mining sector can adapt to modern standards and compete with entrenched suppliers abroad. A US revival of graphite mining reflects this global shift in materials strategy.

After nearly seventy years of inactivity, US graphite mining is showing signs of revival. Once considered obsolete due to cheap imports, particularly from China, the domestic graphite sector is gaining new relevance as geopolitical tensions and clean-energy demand tighten global supply chains.

Graphite – essential to lithium-ion battery production, industrial lubricants, and high-temperature components – has become a centerpiece in the race to secure critical minerals. Its capacity to conduct electricity and withstand extreme heat makes it vital for producing both electric vehicle batteries and larger grid-scale energy storage systems.

Mining across the United States had all but ceased by the 1950s, but conditions are shifting. According to the US Geological Survey's National Minerals Information Center, no US mine currently produces graphite commercially. However, five projects are in active development. Titan Mining Corporation's operation in northern New York is among them, with additional projects underway in Alabama, Montana, and Alaska.

Titan's site lies in a remote forest about 25 miles south of the Canadian border, on the grounds of an existing zinc mine. The location allows the company to extract small quantities of graphite under current permits while pursuing additional approvals and aiming for full production and commercial sales by 2028.

"We believe there is a real opportunity here. We have the ability to supply a significant portion of US needs," company CEO Rita Adiani told The Associated Press. "And that's largely because you can't see China now as a reliable supply-chain partner."

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In recent months, the federal government granted the New York project fast-track permitting, describing it as a key step in establishing a strategically vital domestic graphite supply chain. The US Export-Import Bank also pledged $5.5 million for a feasibility study and said it would consider loans of up to $120 million for construction.

Graphite is essential to lithium-ion battery production, as well as to other industrial applications.

Titan expects eventual capacity of about 40,000 metric tonnes of graphite concentrate annually – roughly half the country's current natural graphite demand. Adiani said the company anticipates strong market demand, with the potential to sell the facility's entire output.

Modern graphite projects involve a mix of natural and synthetic materials. Natural graphite is mined directly from ore, while synthetic graphite is produced through high-temperature processing of petroleum coke or other carbon-rich feedstocks. Synthetic grades are purer but far more expensive to produce. Both are used in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries, depending on performance needs and cost considerations.

For decades, China has dominated both markets. Beijing's recent decision to impose and then relax export controls on graphite and other critical minerals highlighted the US vulnerability in securing battery materials. China processes the large majority of the world's natural graphite and accounts for much of its synthetic output, leaving manufacturers exposed to trade disruptions.

Federal agencies now classify graphite as one of 60 "critical minerals" essential to national and economic security. The Department of Energy has designated it alongside rare-earth elements as central to electrification and defense needs. Production incentives under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act include tax credits for critical mineral extraction and processing.

The Trump administration has extended those policies by signing supply agreements with allied nations and funding new feasibility work within the United States. Officials argue that broader investment in mining is necessary to secure materials for batteries, semiconductors, and military components.

Trade tensions with China, which had escalated earlier in the year due to increased tariffs, eased slightly after President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in South Korea at an October economic summit. However, supply concerns remain, particularly as battery manufacturing expands faster than domestic mineral sourcing.

Beyond Titan's New York project, Graphite One is developing a large-scale operation in Alaska, which state authorities describe as the nation's largest identified deposit of large-flake graphite. In Alabama, Westwater Resources has begun engineering work and environmental permitting for its Coosa Deposit, another project intended to serve the American battery manufacturing industry. Together with smaller efforts in Montana, these ventures form the first coordinated attempt in decades to reestablish domestic graphite supply.