Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/783264
F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 7 www.resourceworld.com 37 marked improvement in the performance of natural flake graphite over its synthetic counterpart. Each of these factors combines to create pressure to bring new sources of natural flake graphite supply, especially in the form of high-purity Spherical Graphite, into the market. In the US, graphite import dependency is 100%, and has been for more than 25 years, since the last American graphite mine ceased operations. Globally, China accounts for roughly 65-70% of worldwide production, with India, Brazil, Turkey, Canada and North Korea combined providing almost 30% of the remain - ing annual supply. The concentration of such a large percentage of production in one country, a nation that increasingly puts a significant amount of that produc- tion into internal use, has led to concerns about surety of supply. One industry ana- lyst asks rhetorically, "Could Beijing use its ownership stake [in graphite mines] to decide who can buy which resources and at what price? Yes." Bringing new natural flake graphite mines into production will be critical to meeting rising tech demand, and with it, the ability to sustain advanced manufac - turing in the 21 st Century. All of which, when inventors, entrepreneurs and engi- neers are writing the next chapter of technological progress, makes graphite one of the world's most indispensable mineral resources. The Graphite One Resources Inc. [GPH-TSXV] Graphite Creek Project, the US's largest known large flake graphite deposit, is located north of Nome, Alaska. Graphite Creek measures nearly 18 mil - lion tonnes of indicated resources at 6.3% graphitic carbon. Tests using Graphite One material have produced premium spherical graphite of the kind sought for advanced technology applications. As of this writ - ing, the company plans to release its maiden Preliminary Economic Assessment at the end of January 2017. LITHIUM: DEMAND INTENSIFYING LITHIUM MAY BE the lightest metal on Earth but it is a heavyweight in the rechargeable battery sector, in particular in the automotive and electronic device sectors. There are two types of lithium deposits – brines and hardrock (the min - eral spodumene). While worldwide lithium production is dominated by only four major lithium producers, there are currently over 50 junior exploration companies either seeking an economic lithium deposit or advancing known deposits. A few have partnered up with a lithium producer such as junior Advantage Lithium Corp. [AAL-TSXV] and producer Orocobre Ltd. [ORL-TSX]. Lithium brine production is the most cost-efficient mineral product and dominates world production; how - ever, advanced-stage, hardrock lithium company Nemaska Lithium Inc. [NMX- TSX] has a mining and processing project