Project 001 · Understand How This Decision Was Made
Qualify second spheronization facility
Begin qualification of a second non-domestic spheronization facility to reduce single-facility dependency.
Review
Everything below reflects exactly what was known as of 2026-06-09 — the evidence available, the risks on record, and the reasoning that followed. Nothing here has been revised with hindsight.
Decision Rationale
HighNo rationale recorded for this decision.
Supporting Evidence Cited
| ID | Date | Category | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV-024 | 2026-03-12 | Infrastructure | High | Site diligence identifies an existing Class II hazardous waste permit held by the prior tenant, which could shorten the DTSC re-permitting timeline by an estimated 6–9 months versus a greenfield site. |
| EV-025 | 2026-03-13 | Infrastructure | High | Gulf Coast site benefits from existing rail and barge access but sits within a NOAA-designated Category 3 hurricane storm surge zone, requiring elevated pad construction. |
Evidence Available Then
88 records existed as of 2026-06-09| ID | Date | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV-087 | 2026-06-09 | Supply Chain | Calcined petroleum coke suitable for synthetic graphite production is available from at least three Gulf Coast refiners, reducing single-supplier exposure relative to the sulfuric acid position. |
| EV-086 | 2026-06-08 | Supply Chain | Petroleum coke feedstock pricing has moved within a $310–380 per tonne range over the trailing twelve months per commodity market data, a wider band than assumed in initial program cost estimates. |
| EV-085 | 2026-06-05 | Supply Chain | Quoted delivered pricing from the engaged supplier is approximately $145–160 per tonne, consistent with regional industrial acid market data from early 2026. |
| EV-084 | 2026-06-04 | Supply Chain | Only one sulfuric acid supplier has been engaged in preliminary discussions; two additional regional suppliers were contacted but have not responded as of this evidence date. |
| EV-083 | 2026-06-03 | Market | Integrator has indicated openness to a shorter qualification cycle than cell manufacturers, given less stringent cycle-life requirements for stationary storage applications. |
| EV-082 | 2026-06-02 | Market | Grid Storage Integrator West's projected annual material demand, per its public capacity expansion announcements, is estimated at 8,000–12,000 tonnes by 2028 — meaningful but secondary to primary battery-cell offtake volume. |
| EV-081 | 2026-06-01 | Market | Consortium's technical qualification standard (per published supplier requirements) is broadly similar to Cell Maker A's protocol but includes an additional carbon-footprint disclosure requirement. |
| EV-080 | 2026-05-29 | Market | European Battery Consortium's public sourcing roadmap targets 30% non-Asian anode material supply by 2030, a stated policy goal consistent with program positioning but not yet a signed commitment. |
| EV-079 | 2026-05-28 | Environmental | No federally listed endangered species habitat has been identified within the immediate project footprint per the most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service critical habitat mapping. |
| EV-078 | 2026-05-27 | Environmental | Colorado River Delta habitat review precedent from a comparable cross-border infrastructure project suggests binational environmental consultation could add 6–12 months to permitting if triggered. |
| EV-077 | 2026-05-26 | Environmental | Comparable processing facilities elsewhere have achieved PM10 compliance using baghouse filtration systems with a documented capture efficiency above 99.5%. |
| EV-076 | 2026-05-25 | Environmental | Salton Sea Air Basin is currently classified as nonattainment for PM10 under federal standards, which imposes additional emissions offset requirements on new industrial sources. |
| EV-075 | 2026-05-22 | Permitting | A preliminary wetlands delineation survey commissioned for this program identified no jurisdictional wetlands within the primary site boundary, though the adjacent water infrastructure corridor remains under review. |
| EV-074 | 2026-05-21 | Permitting | Army Corps jurisdictional determination requests for comparable water-adjacent industrial sites in the region have taken a median of 14 months to resolve per publicly available Corps case data. |
| EV-073 | 2026-05-20 | Permitting | County planning staff confirmed in a pre-application meeting that no general plan amendment would be required for the current site configuration, reducing procedural risk. |
Showing 15 of 88 records available at replay time.
Risks Known Then
44 risks logged as of 2026-06-09Madagascar jurisdictional policy risk
Madagascar's export policy for graphite has been broadly stable but is not contractually locked in.
LowMonitoring
Mozambique jurisdictional policy risk
Mozambique's regulatory and export policy environment for critical minerals is still developing.
MediumOpen
Production tax credit policy risk
The critical minerals production tax credit is subject to future policy change.
MediumMonitoring
Offtake prepayment structuring risk
Prepayment facility terms are still under negotiation and could affect capital structure assumptions.
LowMonitoring
Federal loan guarantee approval uncertainty
Department of Energy loan guarantee approval timing and terms remain uncertain.
MediumOpen
Synthetic feedstock cost volatility
Petroleum coke feedstock pricing for the synthetic hedge pathway has shown recent volatility.
LowMonitoring
Process chemical supplier concentration risk
Sulfuric acid supply for purification currently depends on a single candidate supplier.
MediumOpen
Grid storage customer volume uncertainty
Grid storage integrator demand volume is less certain than primary battery-cell offtake.
LowMonitoring
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.