China has announced that companies will require export permits for 8 graphite products in a further bid to retain control of the electric vehicle battery supply chain effective December 1st this year. While the global shift away from natural graphite was already progressing rapidly due to growing geopolitical tensions and the abundance of synthetic graphite feedstock globally, this decision from China accelerates the investment case for synthetic graphite production in Western countries. Synthetic graphite production is incredibly energy intensive, and so competition will primarily be decided on which companies have the lowest energy costs in North America, while European producers will also have to balance carbon intensity from an earlier date because of its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The…