Project 001 · Understand How This Decision Was Made
Prioritize processing-site permitting track
Determine whether to begin permitting for an Imperial Valley site before feedstock contracts are finalized.
Draft
Everything below reflects exactly what was known as of 2026-02-20 — the evidence available, the risks on record, and the reasoning that followed. Nothing here has been revised with hindsight.
Decision Rationale
MediumNo rationale recorded for this decision.
Supporting Evidence Cited
| ID | Date | Category | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV-002 | 2026-02-18 | Infrastructure | Medium | Imperial Valley region has existing industrial power and rail infrastructure relevant to materials processing. |
| EV-008 | 2026-02-08 | Infrastructure | Medium | Water availability is a material siting constraint in the Imperial Valley. |
Evidence Available Then
9 records existed as of 2026-02-20| ID | Date | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV-007 | 2026-02-20 | Market | Two candidate cell makers have publicly stated anode-material diversification interest. |
| EV-009 | 2026-02-19 | Infrastructure | Existing geothermal power generation in the Imperial Valley could offset processing energy load. |
| EV-002 | 2026-02-18 | Infrastructure | Imperial Valley region has existing industrial power and rail infrastructure relevant to materials processing. |
| EV-006 | 2026-02-14 | Infrastructure | Port of Long Beach has existing bulk materials handling infrastructure. |
| EV-001 | 2026-02-11 | Market | Battery-grade anode graphite processing capacity is geographically concentrated outside North America. |
| EV-008 | 2026-02-08 | Infrastructure | Water availability is a material siting constraint in the Imperial Valley. |
| EV-004 | 2026-02-05 | Regulatory | Qualification cycles for new anode material suppliers typically span multiple quarters. |
| EV-003 | 2026-01-30 | Geology | Brazil and Argentina have documented flake graphite deposits at varying development stages. |
| EV-005 | 2026-01-22 | Technical | Synthetic graphite production is energy-intensive relative to natural flake processing. |
Risks Known Then
3 risks logged as of 2026-02-20Qualification cycle length
Cell makers require long qualification lead times before switching anode suppliers, extending time to revenue.
MediumOpen
Spheronization capacity bottleneck
Limited non-domestic facilities convert flake to battery-grade spherical graphite; delays here block the entire pathway.
HighOpen
Water availability constraint
Processing facility siting in the Imperial Valley is sensitive to regional water allocation limits.
MediumMonitoring
Unknown Factors
No unknown factors recorded for this decision.
Outcome
Outcome not yet recorded — this decision may still be open.
Lessons Learned
No lessons learned recorded for this decision.