Tirupati Graphite PLC (LSE:TGR, OTCQX:TGRHF) said construction and installation of a second preconcentrate plant at its Vatomina project in Madagascar is complete.
Trial runs and integration into the existing operations are in process, said the London-listed graphite and graphene company.
Its first preconcentrate and the final concentrate plants have continued to operate over the name plate ore feed capacity of 600 tons per day. The company noted that the preconcentrate plant continued to operate uninterrupted following its reorganisation.
Tirupati said it does not foresee any challenges in stabilising the Vatomina operations at above 1,200 tons of ore feed per day from December 2022, stabilising operations at 12,000 tons per annum (tpa) output as planned.
Elsewhere in Madagascar, the operations and development of the Sahamamy project has continued at full pace, it said.
A new road connecting Sahamamy to National Highway 2 and Vatomina has been strengthened, with the last few kilometres currently under completion.
The existing 3,000 tpa plant at Sahamamy remained in operation and will be decommissioned in December following the stabilisation of the second preconcentrate operations in Vatomina.
Construction and installation of both pre-concentrate plants in Sahamamy are complete with tests and trial runs initiated.
Tirupati said construction and installations at the main processing plant are “substantially” complete at Sahamamy, adding that it remains on target to stabilise operations of the 18,000 tpa plant by end of the current quarter.
"We have come a long way in a short time and have effectively brought under control the impacts of the adverse conditions experienced in Madagascar earlier this year,” said executive chairman Shishir Poddar. “Our innovative and cost-effective solutions have started to bear fruit.”
“Market conditions for graphite are very positive, and this is the ideal time for us to be increasing production of this critical material.
"With the turnaround of the Madagascan projects now complete, we are again progressing towards our aim of providing approximately 8% of global flake graphite demand."