Graphite One secures final Ohio EPA air permit, aims to start construction April 2027
Graphite One announced it hopes to have everything ready to start construction on a Conneaut battery materials plant in April 2027, after securing its final air permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Oct. 27.
According to a release from G1, the company now plans to complete the final engineering on phase one.
G1 announced its interest in building a battery-materials facility in the city earlier this year, with phase one including a plant that could process synthetic graphite.
Synthetic graphite sales are targeted for the fourth quarter of 2028, according to the release.
G1 leadership currently plans to have the phase one plant process 10,000 tonnes annually through an initial $80 million capital cost, but that may be updated after final engineering is complete.
From there, the company plans to work on a second phase, which would allow the facility to process natural graphite from its Graphite Creek project in Alaska.
That production is targeted for 2030, according to the release.
The company intends to situate the plant on land leased from Canadian National, after canceling a previous plant development in Trumbull County.
The permit will cover the company for ten years, before it needs to renew. Construction must begin in the next 18 months under the permit, but there is a potential one-year extension, according to the release.
"Receiving the final Ohio Air Permit is an important step toward establishing a domestic synthetic anode material supply chain," G1 CEO Anthony Huston said in the release. "This approval advances Phase 1 Plant toward first revenue and supports our goal of becoming the first U.S. company commercially producing synthetic graphite anode material."
The permit's approval ends technical review, which was announced July, according to the release.
"Securing the final permit reflects the quality of our engineering and permitting work after a rigorous review by Ohio EPA," G1 COO Mike Schaffner said. "Our focus now turns to engineering, procurement and financing to bring Conneaut to construction."
Conneaut City Manager Nick Sanford said he is excited the project is moving toward fruition.
"We want to welcome new industry to Conneaut, and welcome the opportunity to come along with it," he said.
Sanford said conversations he has had with G1 leadership indicate project plans are moving forward well.
He said city administration is working to connect Kent State University Ashtabula and A-Tech with G1 to provide local students with career opportunities at the company once the plant is operating.
City leaders will apply for grant funding next year to finance the construction of a port connector running toward Route 20 via a reopened Thompson Road to facilitate G1 and other future port development, Sanford said.
He and his office have already reached out to potential grantees, including the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Department of Transportation and United States Department of Transportation, Sanford said.
The project would cost $25-35 million, Sanford said.
City leaders had previously received around $19.5 million from USDOT for a port connector around 2019, but economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic meant the project did not move forward.
City administration hopes to apply for grant funding for a port connector early next year, Sanford said.
