Morocco takes a new step in its participation in the battery value chain. The Canadian group Falcon Energy Materials, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, officially announced a strategic partnership on May 20 with the Moroccan company FluorAlpha to install a unit dedicated to the production of active materials for anodes in Jorf Lasfar.
This industrial project, structured in two phases, will begin with a pilot unit whose construction is expected in the second quarter of 2025. It will serve to produce 100 kg per day of purified spheroidal graphite (CSPG), a key component of lithium-ion batteries. Ultimately, a large-capacity industrial unit will take over, with an estimated annual production of 25,000 tons of CSPG.
The agreement stipulates that FluorAlpha, already established in the Jorf Lasfar industrial zone, will supply the future plant with anhydrous hydrofluoric acid (AHF), essential for graphite processing. This chemical product is derived from fluorosilicic acid (FSA), which itself comes from the production of phosphate fertilizers, a national specialty. Fluorine is extracted here from phosphate rocks, of which Morocco holds some of the largest reserves in the world.
At the same time, FluorAlpha is developing its industrial capacities by building two new production lines in Jorf Lasfar, expected to be operational in 2026. They should generate 20,000 tons of AHF and 30,000 tons of aluminum fluoride (AlF₃) each year, thus supplying the semiconductor, energy storage, and solar industries.
To ensure a stable supply of raw materials, Falcon Energy Materials plans to rely on its graphite deposit in Lola, Guinea, while supplementing its needs with concentrates from other suppliers. Additionally, technical partnerships have been established with Chinese companies Hensen Graphite and Shanghai Shanshan, specializing in anode technologies, to ensure the quality and compliance of the processed graphite.
The establishment of this unit on Moroccan soil is not insignificant from a geopolitical standpoint. Thanks to the free trade agreement between Morocco and the United States, the Jorf Lasfar site could benefit from the tax advantages provided by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), particularly in the context of increasing trade tensions with China. Washington is indeed considering imposing very high anti-dumping duties—up to 721%—on Chinese natural and synthetic anodes.
Beyond its industrial ambitions, this cooperation strengthens Morocco’s positioning as an essential platform for critical materials in the energy transition, while reducing its dependence on imports of fluorinated compounds. A further step towards green and strategic industrial sovereignty.