• Orom-Cross plans to produce 20,000 tons of graphite annually in Phase 1, with $40 million in startup capital.

• Blencowe Resources signed a new non-binding offtake MoU with UK-based Yunasko Ltd for 500 tons per year.

• UK and Chinese firms have already lined up multi-year MoUs totaling nearly 40,000 tons of graphite.

A feasibility study published in December 2025 shows Orom-Cross can produce 20,000 tons of graphite per year in its first phase. Blencowe Resources plans to invest $40 million to start production in 2027.

Blencowe Resources announced on 9 December that it signed a new non-binding memorandum of understanding to sell natural graphite concentrate from its Orom-Cross project in Uganda.

The company identified Yunasko Ltd, a London-based high-tech firm, as the potential buyer. This agreement adds Yunasko to a growing list of UK and Chinese companies positioning themselves as potential clients of what could become Uganda’s first graphite mine.

The envisaged agreement spans five years and covers an initial annual delivery of 500 tons of purified graphite. Blencowe will send the concentrate for additional processing in Chicago through its U.S. technology partner, American Energy Technology. The parties must still negotiate pricing and incorporate it into a binding agreement within 24 months.

Yurii Maletin, executive chairman of the London- and Kyiv-based group, said: “We are delighted to work with Blencowe Resources to secure high-quality purified graphite from Orom-Cross’s natural resources, which will be integrated into Yunasko’s next-generation energy-storage systems.”

Before Yunasko, UK firm Perpetuus Advanced Materials signed a similar MoU to buy 19,000 tons over five years. Chinese buyers Jilin New Technology and Qingdao TaiDa Carbon signed agreements in June 2024 and April 2025 to purchase 15,000 tons and 5,000 tons, respectively.

Blencowe attributes the surge in global interest to the high quality of Orom-Cross graphite. The company expects additional MoUs soon in Europe and the United States. It already signed a non-binding MoU with U.S. company Apollo Energy Systems for 250 tons per year.

Although these MoUs strengthen Blencowe’s case for financing its Ugandan project, none of the agreements are binding. The company nevertheless plans to raise $40 million to launch production in 2027, with initial output set at 20,000 tons of graphite per year.

This article was initially published in French by Emiliano Tossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum