US opens first graphite mine since the 1950s in push to break China’s grip on critical minerals
Gxstocks' Jeff Flock joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to report on America’s first graphite mine in decades and the push to reduce U.S. dependence on China for critical minerals.
A quiet revival is underway in New York State, highlighting a major shift in America's industrial and national security priorities.
Titan Mining has begun processing the first newly produced U.S. graphite since the 1950s, turning ordinary-looking rock into a material now considered essential to everything from advanced batteries to modern weapons systems.
For most people, graphite brings to mind pencils. However, it has become a backbone of the energy and defense economy. The mineral is a key component in lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), drones, communications equipment and military hardware. It is also used in nuclear reactors, missiles and high-temperature industrial applications, giving it a vast role in both everyday technology and national defense.
For decades, the United States has allowed its graphite supply chain to slowly move offshore. Today, all U.S. graphite is imported, with about 42% coming from our biggest adversary, China. The dependence on a single foreign supplier has turned graphite from a background mineral into a growing national security concern as the U.S.-China competition intensifies.
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Titan Mining CEO Rita Adiani pointed to those risks directly.
"...That's why it's a very unique proposition being a domestic producer because it's a national security issue," Adiani said.
These pressures have fueled a growing policy response in Washington. Under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), federal agencies face strict limits on sourcing critical materials from foreign adversaries. That puts domestic graphite projects like Titan's directly in the spotlight.
"...Under the NDAA there are severe restrictions on procurement and again that's why we play a very crucial role," Adiani said.
Adiani underscored how unexpected discoveries can reshape the country's resource map.
"So we have a 120,000-acre mineral rights package. We went looking for zinc, and we found graphite," she said.
She explained how the raw rock is turned into a high-purity material on site.
"So what you're looking at here is the mined rock that we get from the ground. We take that, and we concentrate that up to very high levels of graphite... The flotation circuit that you're seeing here is about 95 to 99% graphite."
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As Washington tightens procurement rules and U.S. industries look to secure stable supplies, graphite is moving from a niche material to a strategic resource. The reopening of U.S. production adds a new chapter to how those supply chains are being rebuilt.
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