Balama Graphite Mine
One of the world's largest graphite mines, feeding a US battery-anode plant but running in campaigns.
Balama is an open-pit natural graphite mine in Cabo Delgado Province, northern Mozambique, owned by Australia's Syrah Resources. It supplies graphite to Syrah's Vidalia anode-material plant in Louisiana, USA, one of the few battery-anode supply chains outside China. Protests at the site from September 2024 halted operations, and Syrah declared force majeure in December 2024. Operations restarted in 2025. With weak demand for graphite outside China, Syrah now runs Balama in campaigns: it produced about 25,800 tonnes in the first half of 2026 and cut its 2026 guidance to 60,000-80,000 tonnes.
- 01Supply natural graphite to Syrah's Vidalia anode plant in the United States
- 02Produce 60,000-80,000 tonnes of graphite in 2026
- 03Ramp up toward 200,000-240,000 tonnes a year when demand and policy allow
- 04Maintain stable relations with surrounding communities after the 2024-2025 shutdown
2017 · completed
Production Start
Syrah began producing natural graphite at Balama.
2024 · completed
Protests and Shutdown
Protests from September 2024 stopped operations, and Syrah declared force majeure in December.
2025 · completed
Restart
Access was restored and Syrah began restarting operations in mid-2025.
2026 · in progress
Campaign Production
Balama produced about 25,800 tonnes in the first half of 2026 and deferred its next campaign to the September quarter.
TBC · planned
Ramp-Up
A medium-term ramp-up to 200,000-240,000 tonnes a year depends on market and policy conditions.
Mineral Resource
Graphite Deposit
One of the world's largest known natural graphite deposits.
Processing Plant
Processing Plant
Flotation plant producing graphite concentrate, with capacity well above current output.
Manufacturing
Vidalia Plant
Syrah's anode-material plant in Louisiana, USA, supplied by Balama graphite.
- Open-pit mining of graphite ore
- Flotation to natural graphite concentrate (fine and coarse flake)
- Campaign-based production matched to demand
- Export via the port of Nacala
What it means for the community
Balama is a major private investment in Cabo Delgado, a province affected by an armed insurgency since 2017. The 2024 protests, over jobs and compensation, showed how fragile relations with the surrounding communities are. The mine also matters internationally as a source of battery graphite outside China.
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- Syrah Resources
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