David Trimboli

Quantum Graphite has entered a transformational joint venture agreement with The Sunlands Company to manufacture thermal energy storage battery cells, or “TES”, utilising graphite sourced from its Uley 2 deposit on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Sunlands will contribute processing technologies and flake specifications for the final product, with the 50-50 partnership aiming to break into the burgeoning renewable power generation market.

Quantum Graphite will incorporate the 50 per cent return from its new joint venture partner, Sunland Co’s thermal storage media manufacturing business using Quantum’s flake graphite for assembly within its thermal energy storage cells. The technology is at the forefront of a blossoming ‘long-duration energy storage’ industry that is becoming central in providing stability and flexibility to energy grids increasingly reliant on renewable power.

Ultra-high temperature test work aimed at evaluating the suitability of ASX-listed Quantum Graphite’s coarse flake graphite in the production of long-duration energy devices has come up trumps. The program forms part of a jointly held partnership with Melbourne-based company Sunlands and aims to produce thermal energy storage battery cells at an industrial scale using Quantum’s ore as a feedstock.

Quantum Graphite has extended its land grab at the Uley project in South Australia, increasing the ground area to 117 square kilometres at the site near the State’s historic fishing town of Port Lincoln. The company is on the hunt for deposits of flake graphite to supply the critical mineral into its Sunlands Power joint venture for conversion into thermal energy storage cells.