Argonaut has received unconfirmed reports that Chinese Government Authorities have ordered the immediate shutdown of graphite production in the Qingdao region of the Shandong Province. The order, issued on an environmental control basis, comes ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit to be held in Qingdao in June. We understand the shutdown has been issued via a formal letter to a number of local producers ordering production to cease from the 10th May to the 1st October 2018.
A big potential impact on global natural flake graphite supply
Qingdao accounts for the majority of Shandong’s graphite production, which in turn accounts for 15-20% of China’s overall natural flake production. As China accounts for 60-70% of global natural flake production, these shutdowns could impact 9-14% of global supply and therefore have a positive impact on graphite prices. When considered in light of China’s broader environmental crackdown, this shutdown may foreshadow a sustained period of supply disruption in China. Such a scenario is considered to be highly supportive for flake graphite pricing and international producers and developers.
2013 presentence precedence for the shutdown
A similar action was taken in late-2013 when up to 55 graphite processors in Shandong in the town of Pingdu were ordered by the local government to halt production after failing to improve wastewater, dust and gas emissions. This event contributed to an upward inflection point in the average flake graphite price in 2014. Similar closers were also enforced in 2017.
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