US to Impose 93.5% Tariff on Graphite From China
[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
The Commerce Department will impose preliminary antidumping duties of 93.5% on imports of Chinese graphite, a key battery component, after concluding the materials had been unfairly subsidized.
A trade association representing U.S. graphite producers in December filed petitions with two federal agencies, asking for investigations into whether Chinese companies were violating antidumping laws. The new duties will add to existing rates making the effective tariff 160%, according to the American Active Anode Material Producers, the trade group that filed the complaint.
The antidumping duty on graphite is set to increase tensions along the global electric-vehicle supply chain that’s already facing Beijing’s export controls of some critical minerals and battery technology. Battery supplier shares slipped, while producers in North America and the Asia-Pacific soared.
“Commerce’s determination proves that China is selling AAM at less than fair value into the domestic market,” Erik Olson, a spokesperson for the anode producers trade group, said in a statement.
Syrah Resources, an Australian graphite and battery anode company, surged as much as 38%, the most since October 2023. Posco Future M Co., a South Korean battery material firm, jumped 24%.
The tariff would be a blow to battery manufacturers, said Sam Adham, head of battery materials at consultancy CRU Group. A 160% tariff equates to $7 per kilowatt-hour added cost to an average EV battery cell, or one-fifth of the battery manufacturing tax credits that originated in the Inflation Reduction Act and survived President Donald Trump’s budget bill, he said.
“That basically wipes out profits for one or two entire quarters for the Korean battery makers,” Adham said.
TT's Seth Clevenger and Mike Senatore unpack the trends, surprises and shake-ups that define this year's Top 100 for-hire carriers.Tune in above or by going to .
RELATED: Musk Fights Tariffs on Graphite From China
Tesla Inc. and its key battery supplier, Japan’s Panasonic Inc., were among companies pushing to block the new tariffs, arguing that they rely on Chinese graphite imports because the domestic industry hasn’t developed enough to meet the quality standards and volume that the carmaker requires. Tesla shares fell as much as 0.7% July 17.
Graphite is a key raw material used to make anodes of the batteries, and nearly 180,000 metric tons of graphite products were imported into the U.S. last year, with about two-thirds of these deliveries coming from China, according to BloombergNEF.
China dominates the processing capacity of graphite, with the International Energy Agency calling the material one of the most exposed to potential supply risks and “requiring urgent efforts for diversification,” according to a report in May.
Graphite is expected to remain the most common anode material for all types of lithium-ion batteries in the medium term, according to the IEA, with silicon only expected to begin eating into its market share from 2030.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary determination affirming the antidumping duties in a document July 17 and said the final determination should be announced by Dec. 5.
RELATED: Birla Carbon to Open $1B Graphite Plant in South Carolina
The tariff ruling “provides the policy clarity and market signals needed to accelerate domestic graphite production,” said Jon Jacobs, chief commercial officer at Westwater Resources, which is building a graphite plant in Alabama. Westwater, which has agreements with Jeep-owner Stellantis NV and South Korea’s SK On Co., will have 12,500 metric tons of production capacity when its first phase comes online next year, with plans to expand capacity to 50,000 tons annually by 2028, Jacobs said.
Westwater rose 15% on July 17. Canadian graphitefirmsNouveau Monde Graphite and Northern Graphite Corp. also surged on the tariff news.
The antidumping rate determination “could impact the cost structure for battery suppliers” like Fluence Energy and Enphase Energy, analysts at Roth Capital Partners said in a note July 16. Fluence shares closed lower by 0.4% while Enphase dropped 0.7%.
Additional duties on batteries will add to pressures facing the renewable industry. While energy storage retained key tax incentives in Trump’s budget bill, Treasury Department rules restricting the use of Chinese cells complicates compliance for many developers. Supply chain risks and costs will slow the pace of storage growth on the U.S. grid, according to Wood Mackenzie.
Tope Alake, Gabrielle Coppola and Annie Lee contributed to this report
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing belowor go here for more info:
