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    Saudi graphite plant at Yanbu: capex, supply chain and JV lens for mine planners

    February 7, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Saudi graphite plant at Yanbu: capex, supply chain and JV lens for mine planners

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Northern Graphite will prioritise a US$200 million battery anode material plant at Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, with initial capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year from 2028, supplied by the restarted Okanjande graphite mine in Namibia (planned 31,000 t/y over 10 years at a restart cost of about US$35 million). Partner Al Obeikan will hold 51%, lead local debt raising, and tap the Saudi Industrial Development Fund to cover 50–75% of capex, leveraging fast permitting. Planned 20,000 t/y plants in Baie-Comeau, Quebec and France are now secondary, with CEO Hugues Jacquemin calling the Saudi deal a “wake-up call” for stronger power allocations and incentives.

    Technical Brief

    • Construction at Yanbu is targeted to start in H2, post-completion of a final feasibility study.
    • Al Obeikan will own 51% of the JV and lead local debt financing for build and commissioning.
    • Baie‑Comeau’s proposed plant start-up was previously targeted as early as 2027, contingent on Hydro‑Québec power allocation.

    Our Take

    Within the 15 graphite-tagged pieces in our database, this Saudi-based JV between Northern Graphite and Obeikan stands out as one of the few that combines upstream restart capital as small as the US$35 million earmarked for Okanjande with a downstream anode-materials plant, signalling a relatively low-cost entry into integrated supply compared with greenfield peers.

    The 2027–2028 start-up window for Baie-Comeau, Yanbu and Okanjande positions Northern Graphite to hit the same demand window as several other graphite anode projects in Europe and North America in our coverage, which likely heightens competitive pressure on slower-moving Quebec and French value-chain initiatives referenced in the article.

    Saudi Arabia’s use of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund to back a US$200 million battery-material plant at Yanbu aligns with other Vision 2030 mining and metals items in our database where state-backed capital is used to de-risk first-of-a-kind downstream facilities, a model that Quebec and France currently apply more selectively to graphite and anode materials.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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