Sarytogan Graphite has launched a 20-tonne trial mining program at its Central Graphite Zone (CGZ) in Kazakhstan, aiming to collect graphite ore samples for comprehensive testing and customer qualification. These samples will play a key role in the company’s definitive feasibility study (DFS), which will refine the milling assumptions detailed in its prefeasibility study (PFS).
The bulk sample will be excavated from the CGZ and processed at a local Kazakh laboratory. The milled product will be analyzed to confirm the energy and equipment requirements for full-scale production. Additionally, up to one tonne of the sample will be sent to Australia for the production of a bulk flotation concentrate, on a larger scale compared to the 20kg sample previously produced and shipped.
Sarytogan Graphite also plans to manufacture a micro-crystalline graphite product, “Micro80C,” with a purity range of 80% to 85%. Both the concentrate and the Micro80C will be available initially to vendors with equipment for thermal purification. A portion of the graphite will undergo further refinement to achieve “five nines (5N)” purity, essential for battery production.
Sean Gregory, Sarytogan Graphite’s Managing Director, stated: “Following the positive PFS results, we are advancing to the next phase of the Sarytogan Graphite Project with customer-focused early works. The 20-tonne trial mining will yield samples for grinding and equipment tests to DFS standards and, crucially, generate samples for customer qualification.”
The recently released PFS indicates a 60-year mine life, beginning with ore from the CGZ. This deposit, containing 8.6 million tonnes at 30% total graphitic carbon (TGC), represents just 4% of Sarytogan’s total 229 million-tonne resource. With an average forecast strip ratio of 0.2:1, the project is expected to be low-cost, potentially producing 50,000 tonnes annually for a capital expenditure of $95 million. Future development stages could require an additional $433 million, potentially boosting the project’s net present value (NPV) to $787 million.
Sarytogan is also advancing exploration at its Bainazar project, 20km west of its graphite deposit, focusing on copper porphyry mineralization, with results expected soon. The company is working on a $5 million equity placement from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with the first $2.5 million tranche anticipated next month and the second in December.
Although the Sarytogan graphite deposit was initially discovered in the 1980s during the Soviet era, exploration permits were only secured in 2018 after graphite was added to the critical metal list in Europe and Japan. With its strategic location equidistant to major graphite consumers China and Europe, and a plan to produce various graphite products at a low cost, Sarytogan is well-positioned to capitalize on market demand.
