Graphite One has received the final air permit from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for Phase 1 of its planned active anode material facility in Conneaut, Ohio. The permit to install and operate, No. P0140891, was issued to Graphite One (Ohio) Inc., is effective October 27, 2026 and runs to October 27, 2036, renewable. It covers four emissions units: agglomeration, carbonisation, feeding and blending, and finishing and packaging. The company describes it as the key environmental permit required to build and run the plant, and the one it considers most demanding to obtain.
Phase 1 is a 10,000 tonne a year blending and coating plant for synthetic graphite anode material, with an estimated initial capital cost of $80 million, to be updated after final engineering. First sales of synthetic graphite active anode material are targeted for the fourth quarter of 2028, subject to a final investment decision, financing and construction. Under the permit, construction must begin within 18 months of October 27, 2026, with one possible 12 month extension, which makes the financing timetable concrete rather than open ended.
Financing support is layered but not committed. The Export-Import Bank of the United States has issued an amended non binding letter of interest of $1.4 billion for the anode facility, one of two letters bringing total potential EXIM support for the company’s projects to $2.07 billion. Letters of interest are not loans. The permit concludes the Ohio EPA technical review announced on July 16, 2026, and moves the project from permitting into final engineering and the investment decision.