Remember those days, when you poured over your schoolbooks or that science website, a pencil jammed between your teeth or twiddling in your fingers, as you ruminated over physics, biology or the natural world? Did you ever give a thought to said pencil, where it originated or how it came to be in your hot, sticky hand? Possibly not, because, as is often the case, the simplest of things in life can go unnoticed and taken for granted.
However, that pencil, which found its beginnings in the 1600s, contained one of the most useful materials known to man: graphite – the most significant European deposit of which is found at Norway’s Skaland mine, recently acquired by Norge Mineraler. Skaland mine is the world’s highest grade flake graphite mine and the fourth-largest graphite mine outside China.
Humble beginnings
As any good geologist will tell you, “graphite is formed by the metamorphosis of sediments containing carbonaceous material hydrothermal solutions or magmatic fluids, or possibly by the crystallization of magmatic carbon”. It is a common form (allotrope) of carbon and one of the Earth’s softest natural minerals. It has a layered structure made up of rings of six carbon atoms in widely spaced horizontal sheets and in the most part it is dark grey or black – and very soft with a Mohs hardness scale of 1.5.
While it’s generally accepted that graphite must have been used in some forms by ancient civilizations, such as the Aztecs and Celts, in modern times its discovery can be traced back to the 1500s and Cumbria’s picturesque Borrowdale Valley in England. This first deposit, which was solid and resembled coal, was soon put to good use by local farmers, who having tried – unsuccessfully – to burn it, cut the graphite into sticks and used it to mark property, like sheepskins.
Strength in its softness
Of course, it was not long before exploration became official, especially once graphite was identified as a useful and reliable mould for cannonball production, and its value began to rise. As other useful properties were found, a search for deposits beyond England’s shores was ignited.
Today, the UK no longer mines graphite – but there are deposits in Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic, and it is classed by the EU as a Critical Raw Material (CRM). While battery-grade graphite has been designated on the EU’s strategic raw materials list, reflecting the Union’s strategic foresight and commitment to ensuring diversified, affordable, and sustainable access to these vital resources.
According to the international sustainability consultancy, ARUP, it is one of the six strategic minerals (alongside cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and REE – rare earth elements) vital to the world’s energy transition. Its advantageous properties include:
High melting and boiling points – its covalent bonds are strong and substantial energy is needed to break them.
It is a good conductor of electricity and heat – a key part of steel production.
Softness and slipperiness even when dry – allows it to act as a lubricant.
Given its versatility, it’s no surprise that it has become an important factor in a wide range of industries and can be found in:
- Electrodes for the steel industry
- Foundry facings
- Lithium-ion batteries and portable electronics
- High-temperature lubricants
- Brushes in electric motors
- Polishes
- Glass and quartz
- Friction materials
- Fuel cells
Fast-growing demand
Graphite, then, from its sheer usefulness, has become hot property. Today, the world’s largest producer is China. According to Statista, its 2024 natural graphite output totalled an estimated 1.27 million tonnes, representing 75% of the world’s graphite production. China can also boast the largest global reserves, thought to be around 78 million tonnes.
Demand has remained fairly stable over recent times but as Europe pushes towards Net Zero and the sustainability of supply is threatened, it is calculated that global market value is set to reach US$38 billion by 2028. As the EU currently relies on imports from Norway, China and Mozambique, (98,000 tonnes in 2019; 163,000 tonnes in 2023) a “reliable and unhindered access to certain raw materials is a growing concern within the EU and across the globe”.
The future can still be green
As Europe looks to move forward with green energy and a more independent outlook, the fact that Norway’s Skaland mine is Europe’s largest graphite producer and one of the world’s top four outside of China is a comforting thought – and as such, it makes the perfect addition to the existing Norge Mineraler exploration portfolio. Up next, we’ll be looking at the difference between natural and synthetic graphite – and with so many benefits (to supply chains, industries, technology, transition, employment, economies) why it’s on the EU’s strategic raw materials list.
