The strategic collaboration will pursue upstream and downstream opportunities to supply critical graphite anode materials to the global EV industry through streamlined, localized supply chains

ROYAL OAK, Mich., December 29, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Graphex Technologies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Graphex Group Limited (collectively “Graphex”) (NYSE American: GRFX | HKSE: 6128) and a global leader in mid-stream processing of natural graphite for use in lithium-ion (Li-ion) power batteries, announced today that it has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Reforme Group Pty Ltd (“Reforme”), a private mining and development group involved in developing processing, to create a strategic alliance joint venture (JV) to provide key feedstock and critical minerals and processing technologies for the production of electric vehicle (EV) Li-ion power batteries to the global EV industry.

Reforme was founded by the team that developed a world first in the sorting and beneficiating of iron ore has since become a leader in the industry. Through experience with the strategic metals supply chain, Reforme has developed relationships with government and industry for sourcing mining and beneficiation of key materials from industrial processors and mines, expected to provide automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and battery makers with a high-quality, high-volume and stable supply of strategic metals materials needed for production of Li-ion batteries.

Graphex has over a decade of commercial experience producing 10,000 metric tons per annum of battery grade purified spherical graphite to the power battery market. The intent of the MOU is to evaluate collaborative opportunities to strategically locate, construct, and operate mid-stream graphite processing facilities throughout the world to support the global electrification of mobility. Whether near graphite mining resources or locations close to point-of-use – namely battery gigafactories and EV OEMs in the US and Europe – the strategic alliance will leverage shared expertise between Graphex and Reforme in technology, design, financing, equipment sourcing, and plant operations along with established upstream and downstream relationships with key stakeholders and companies in the automotive and battery industries to provide end-to-end stable supply of battery grade anode material for EVs.

An initial focus of the JV will be an already identified graphite opportunity in Australia where critical mineral mining and processing momentum is accelerating quickly. Reforme and its strategic relationships in Australia have secured mineral deposits and/or rights to mineral deposits across the country, including first right of refusal on several projects that have the potential to produce flake graphite concentrate within 18-24 months of a quality and quantities sufficient to sustain operations of mid-stream graphite processing facilities for a minimum of 10 years. Reforme’s relationships with state and local governments and experience in the construction and operations of production facilities in the mining and supply chain space, coupled with Graphex’s mid-stream production experience in the transformation of graphite into battery anode material is an ideal combination to quickly ramp up stable end-to-end supply of battery grade graphite to the EV industry for years to come.

“With the EV industry engaged in the truly herculean task of electrifying mobility worldwide while simultaneously building out end-to-end domestic manufacturing capabilities, the best companies to effect this transformation quickly are those with proven experience and the willingness to innovate. Graphex has that ‘ability with agility’ and the Reforme collaboration will give us a wider reach,” said John DeMaio, CEO of Graphex Technologies. “Additionally, with Australia being part of the Free Trade Agreement, this collaboration has the added advantage of complying with the intent of the Inflation Reduction Act regarding sourcing and processing of critical minerals and further accelerates our strategy to secure upstream raw material sources and to continue expanding our global footprint of mid-stream production facilities.“

“Together, we can provide the mine-to-battery stability and localization of supply that is needed to meet the soaring demand for the batteries that will power the electric future of transportation,” said Anthony Short, Executive Chairman of Reforme Group. “Collaborating with Graphex will be a force multiplier in this effort. Raw material sources seek to participate in the mid-stream value creation and end-users seek stability of supply – Graphex/Reforme are uniquely capable to deliver on both fronts.”

This progress in diversification and expansion follows Graphex’s recent raw material sourcing announcements around the world, including Canada, the US, Brazil, and Tanzania as well as active pursuits of additional resources in Canada, Africa, and Europe. Expanding the array of upstream resources dovetails with Graphex’s progress on a new mid-stream graphite processing facility being developed in Warren, Michigan. This scaled production and global expansion comes amidst a recent push from the USA Federal Government to stabilize American EV and battery manufacturing supply chains. As mentioned recently in the New York Times, Graphex’s stateside production and global sourcing signifies a shift in the green tech industry to extricate itself from areas of sovereign risk.

“We are proud to take this next step in globalizing our upstream and mid-stream footprint in collaboration with industry innovators like Reforme,” added DeMaio.

About Graphex
Graphex Technologies is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Graphex Group Limited, a Cayman Island company with principal and administrative offices in Hong Kong and U.S. subsidiary office in Royal Oak, MI. Graphex is focused on the development of technologies and products to enhance renewable energy, particularly the enrichment of spherical graphite and graphene, key components for EV batteries and lithium-ion batteries for other use cases. Proficient in the commercial deep processing of graphite, Graphex has been consistently producing over 10,000 metric tons of spherical graphite annually for over 10 years. With a strategy to expand its global operations to support energy transition and electrification efforts worldwide, Graphex is currently among the top suppliers of specialized spherical graphite to the EV and renewable energy industries and holds patents in areas including products, production methods, machinery design, and environmental protection.

About Reforme
Reforme Group provides a turn key mining solutions for its own projects and joint ventures to bring key materials into the supply chain for battery makers for the production of electric vehicle Lithium-Ion power batteries. Reforme is involved in the mining and distribution of materials used to form the key components in the renewable energy space . With the accelerated adoption of EV’s, and with almost unprecedented local government support, we identified the importance of a stable, secure mineral and key material supply for the developing battery industry. Leveraging our experience within the resources supply chain, we have developed relationships for distribution of key materials from industrial processors and mines, to provide our OEM and battery maker clients with a high-quality, high-volume and stable supply of materials needed for production of Lithium-Ion batteries.

Forward Looking Statements
All statements contained in this presentation other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, our business strategy and plans and our objectives for future operations, are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the safe harbor in Section 27A and 21E of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange act of 1934, respectively. You can identify some of these forward looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. We have based these forward looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties.

Information from third sources identified in this release are based on published reports for such information and we have assumed the accuracy of such reports without independent investigation or inquiry.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities of Graphex Group Limited, including but not limited to its American Depositary Shares.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221229005040/en/

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graphex@fischtankpr.com

Collaboration intends to deliver a strategically located, vertically integrated supply of active anode material that meets the quality, quantity, and delivery time frames required by the EV/battery industry in North America and beyond

ROYAL OAK, Mich., December 21, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Graphex Group Limited (NYSE American: GRFX | HKSE: 6128) and its U.S. subsidiary, Graphex Technologies LLC (collectively “Graphex”), a global leader in the downstream processing of specialized natural graphite used in electric vehicle (EV) lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, today announced it has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (“LOI”) with Northern Graphite Corporation (TSXV: NGC) (OTCQB: NGPH) (FSE: ONG) (XSTU: ONG) (the “Company” or “Northern”). The intent of the LOI is to aggregate Northern’s raw material supply capabilities with Graphex’s proven downstream processing expertise to solve an industry wide supply-demand gap by delivering an end-to-end supply of graphite from mine to battery while simultaneously on-shoring a critical mineral supply chain to North America.

Pursuant to the LOI, Graphex and Northern intend to diligently and in good faith negotiate the terms of a Joint Venture, including management and ownership percentages, to jointly produce coated spherical graphite anode material for the EV/battery market. Graphex will license and/or contribute its technology and expertise to the Joint Venture and Northern will provide security of raw mineral supply (graphite concentrate). It is contemplated that Graphex will provide all the technology, plans and expertise for building and operating the plant(s). Graphex has already secured and is developing a site in Warren Michigan that is being designed to produce 15,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of battery anode material, and Northern is evaluating sites in Canada that could accommodate production of up to 200,000 tpa of anode material. Northern shall remain entitled to enter into supply agreements with third parties for production not committed to the Joint Venture and to participate in the construction of other graphite processing plants provided that Northern may not directly or indirectly use, exploit or disclose any of Graphex’s technology in connection with such plants.

“By combining the experience and expertise of Graphex in downstream processing and Northern in upstream raw material production, the collaboration will improve the anode supply picture for the industry significantly, beginning in North America,” said John DeMaio, CEO of Graphex Technologies. “From the time we decided to expand into North America, we have been committed to providing foundational support to the electrification effort which means contributing to solving industry-wide challenges – this effort with Northern is exactly that.”

Hugues Jacquemin, Northern’s CEO commented that “Collaborating with a company that has established technology and expertise will enable Northern to leapfrog the product development stage and substantially shorten our time to market. We look forward to working with Graphex to establish a secure, domestic supply chain for battery anode material in both North America and Europe.”

Graphite is the primary anode material in electrical vehicle (EV) batteries. Typically, graphite ore is mined and concentrated to ~95% purity by companies such as Northern. The mine concentrate is then shaped, purified, and coated to create the critical EV battery anode material in a downstream process by operations like Graphex. The supply picture for natural graphite in North America is marked both by a significant shortfall in the availability of non-China-sourced graphite raw material that is needed to meet projected demand, and the complete absence of experienced commercial-scale downstream processing to transform that raw material into battery-grade anode material. The collaboration between Northern and Graphex seeks to solve both issues on an industry-wide level by providing OEMs and battery makers with a transparent, ESG compliant supply of quality product needed to meet current and future demand.

Northern owns the only producing graphite mine in North America with a current output of 15,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of graphite mine concentrate. It also has three development projects with the resources to produce over 100,000 tpa by 2025 and 300,000 tpa by 2027. Graphex has a long history of processing mine concentrate and produces 10,000 tpa of high yield, high quality battery anode material. Graphex is currently the only experienced downstream processor of natural graphite that intends to develop an anode material processing plant in North America. The collaboration with Northern would allow Graphex to accelerate the expansion of its experienced mid-stream processing capabilities into North America and Europe. Given the emphasis placed on creating domestic U.S. supply chains as promoted through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Defense Production Act, the Graphex-Northern collaboration represents a significant advancement toward making a domestic supply chain for graphite anode material a reality.

To learn more about these developments and more from Graphex Group, please visit www.graphexgroup.com.

About Graphex: Graphex Group Limited, is a Cayman Island company with its principal offices in Hong Kong and regional offices in Shanghai and Royal Oak, MI, USA. Graphex is focused on the development of technologies and products to enhance renewable energy, particularly the production of spherical graphite and graphene, key components in EVs/lithium-ion batteries as well as in other uses. Graphex has extensive commercial experience in the deep processing of graphite and producing battery grade purified spherical graphite. Current production is 10,000 tpa and an expansion is underway to increase production to 20,000 tpa within the next 12 months. Graphex intends to further expand existing operations to 40,000 tpa over the next three years. Graphex is currently among the top suppliers of specialized spherical graphite to the EV and renewable energy industries and holds patents in areas including products, production methods, machinery design, and environmental protection. Graphex’s strategy is to expand its operations globally to support energy transition and electrification efforts worldwide.

About Northern Graphite: Northern is a Canadian, TSX Venture Exchange listed company that is focused on becoming a world leader in producing natural graphite and upgrading it into high value products critical to the green economy including anode material for lithium ion batteries/EVs, fuel cells and graphene, as well as advanced industrial technologies.

Northern is the only significant graphite producing company in North America and is positioned to become the third largest outside of China when its Namibian operations come back online. The Company also has two large scale development projects, Bissett Creek in Ontario and Okanjande in Namibia, that will be a source of continued production growth in the future. All projects have “battery quality” graphite and are located close to infrastructure in politically stable countries.

Forward Looking Statements:
All statements contained in this presentation other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, our business strategy and plans and our objectives for future operations, are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the safe harbor in Section 27A and 21E of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange act of 1934, respectively. You can identify some of these forward looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. We have based these forward looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties.

Information from third sources identified in this release are based on published reports for such information that are generally available by third parties. We have not commissioned any such report or study and we have assumed the accuracy of such reports without independent investigation or inquiry. Any such third party is an author or publisher of papers or studies that are used by industry professionals, generally, and there should not be any implication that any such third party is an “expert” under SEC Rule 436.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities of Graphex Group Limited, including but not limited to its American Depositary Shares.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221221005594/en/

Contacts

Media:
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graphex@fischtankpr.com