• Syrah resumes graphite exports from Mozambique’s Balama mine after six-month halt.
• Initial 10,000-tonne shipment underway, with more to U.S. by Q3.
• Output to remain demand-driven amid weak global graphite prices.

Syrah Resources has officially resumed graphite exports from its Balama mine in Mozambique, the largest in Africa. The company confirmed the news in a statement released on Wednesday, July 23, following the lifting of a six-month force majeure at the site.

Operations at Balama were suspended in December 2024 after local communities blocked the site. Syrah restarted production at the end of June after reports of an improved situation. The resumption of exports marks the final step in the restart process. Syrah announced it has begun loading 10,000 tons of fine flake graphite at the port of Pemba.

The company expects the shipment to be completed this week, bound for a market outside China. At the same time, container shipments, mainly of large flake graphite, have resumed via the port of Nacala. The volume of these shipments has not been disclosed.

Another shipment to the United States market is already scheduled before the end of the third quarter. The restart at Balama comes amid a still challenging global graphite market. A surplus, driven by rising Chinese inventories and weak demand, pushed graphite prices down 20% in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency. The downward trend has continued in 2025, with ChemAnalyst reporting a 5.5% drop in flake graphite prices in the U.S. during the first quarter.

Syrah Resources, which also halted operations at Balama in July 2024 due to market conditions, has not indicated a similar move this time. However, the company plans to operate the mine at a gradual pace, with output tied to "market demand." No production forecast has been announced for the mine, which has an annual capacity of 350,000 tons.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou