Project 001 · Understand How This Decision Was Made
Finalize feedstock warehouse siting
Finalize feedstock warehouse siting relative to the confirmed processing-site layout.
Draft
Everything below reflects exactly what was known as of 2026-06-27 — the evidence available, the risks on record, and the reasoning that followed. Nothing here has been revised with hindsight.
Decision Rationale
LowNo rationale recorded for this decision.
Supporting Evidence Cited
| ID | Date | Category | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV-034 | 2026-03-26 | Technical | Medium | A domestic purification line has not been operated at commercial scale by any U.S. producer; the closest precedent is a 2023 pilot facility in North Carolina operating at approximately 1/20th of the throughput this program would require. |
Evidence Available Then
101 records existed as of 2026-06-27| ID | Date | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV-100 | 2026-06-26 | Financial | Port of Long Beach lease and terminal-use terms for the volumes this program would require are still under negotiation as part of broader program capital planning. |
| EV-099 | 2026-06-25 | Logistics | Non-domestic spheronization throughput has been benchmarked at approximately 45,000 tonnes annually against the three alternative facilities evaluated in this program (Qingdao, Ningbo, Heilongjiang). |
| EV-098 | 2026-06-24 | Technical | Independent technical audit of the Imperial Valley candidate site confirmed the proposed process flow diagram is consistent with publicly disclosed capacity figures for comparable purification and coating operations. |
| EV-097 | 2026-06-23 | Infrastructure | Argentina Exploration Block's infrastructure assessment found the nearest paved road access ends approximately 22 km from the deposit, implying additional unsealed-road haulage cost not present at the Brazilian sites. |
| EV-096 | 2026-06-22 | Market | Brazil Flake Deposit A has an active offtake discussion with two candidate cell makers, though neither has progressed to a signed letter of intent as of this evidence date. |
| EV-095 | 2026-06-19 | Regulatory | Madagascar's export tax on unprocessed graphite is currently 2% of declared value, unchanged since 2019, providing more export-cost predictability than some alternative jurisdictions. |
| EV-094 | 2026-06-18 | Regulatory | Mozambique's Mining Law framework requires a minimum 20% government free-carry interest in mining concessions, a structural feature not present in Brazilian or Argentine mining codes. |
| EV-093 | 2026-06-17 | Financial | Program eligibility modeling suggests the credit could offset an estimated $8–14 million annually at full production scale, based on current cost assumptions and credit parameters. |
| EV-092 | 2026-06-16 | Financial | The 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit currently provides a credit equal to 10% of production costs for eligible critical minerals, subject to periodic legislative review. |
| EV-091 | 2026-06-15 | Financial | Prepayment terms remain contingent on finalizing the underlying offtake volume and price, which have not yet been fixed. |
| EV-090 | 2026-06-12 | Financial | Prepayment facility discussions with Cell Maker A reference a structure similar to publicly disclosed prepayment arrangements in the battery materials sector, typically sized at 15–25% of annual contract value. |
| EV-089 | 2026-06-11 | Financial | Comparable critical-minerals processing projects that received DOE loan guarantees in 2023–2025 secured guarantee coverage in the range of 60–80% of eligible project debt. |
| EV-088 | 2026-06-10 | Financial | DOE Title 17 loan guarantee program has a stated application-to-conditional-commitment timeline of 12–18 months based on program office guidance, with final terms subject to negotiation. |
| 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. |
Showing 15 of 101 records available at replay time.
Risks Known Then
44 risks logged as of 2026-06-27Madagascar 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.