KELLYTON, Ala. – Westwater Resources Inc., an energy technology company focused on battery-grade natural graphite, announced that the Export-Import Bank of the United States has approved a $25 million direct loan to support continued development of the company’s Kellyton Graphite Plant in Coosa County.
The financing was approved through EXIM’s Make More in America Initiative, which supports export-oriented domestic manufacturing projects aimed at strengthening critical U.S. supply chains. J.P. Morgan’s Securitized Products Group served as the arranger and structuring agent for the transaction.
The loan will provide non-dilutive capital to advance construction, equipment installation, commissioning, and operational readiness activities at the Kellyton facility. The funding is expected to support Westwater’s goal of beginning commercial production in 2027.
“This non-dilutive financing represents a significant milestone for Westwater and an important federal commitment to building a secure domestic supply chain for battery-grade natural graphite,” said Terence Cryan, Executive Chairman of Westwater Resources. “Kellyton is the most advanced American battery-grade natural graphite processing project, enjoying a three- to five-year first-mover advantage over potential North American competitors. EXIM’s support strengthens our path toward commercial production in 2027 and recognizes the strategic importance of establishing this critical manufacturing capability here at home.”
Phase I of the Kellyton Graphite Plant is designed to produce approximately 12,500 metric tons of coated spherical purified graphite annually. The facility is located in Alabama near a growing concentration of battery and automotive manufacturing operations throughout the Southeast.
The Kellyton Graphite Plant serves as the advanced processing component of Westwater’s vertically integrated, mine-to-market strategy. The company is also advancing the Coosa Graphite Deposit, located about 30 miles from Kellyton, as a potential long-term domestic source of natural graphite flake concentrate for the plant.
Westwater holds mineral rights across approximately 41,965 acres at the Coosa site, which the company says is the largest and most advanced natural flake graphite deposit in the contiguous United States.
