Syrah to restart Mozambique graphite mine in June

Spanish Market: Metals
15/05/25

Australian mineral producer Syrah Resources will resume operations at its 350,000 t/yr Balama graphite mine complex in Mozambique by the end of June, following a nine-month shutdown over farming and election protests, the firm announced today.

The company mines and processes graphite at Balama. It will only start mining graphite at the site in the July-September quarter, the firm said. Syrah's existing graphite stockpile at Balama can support graphite processing for at least three months as mining resumes, it added.

Syrah regained access to Balama in early May, for the first time since September 2024 when farmers blocked access to the mine in a non-violent protest. The company's teams have not spotted any site damage.

The protest was originally linked to farmers with "historical farmland resettlement grievances", according to Syrah. But the unrest persisted and worsened after Mozambique's general election in October, which triggered violent protests across the country's major cities given claims of electoral fraud. Syrah declared force majeure on some graphite shipments in December, and triggered events of default on a US government loan over the protests. But it did not default on any payment obligations

Most protestors left the mine after Syrah signed a deal with farmers and the Mozambique government in April. Mozambique authorities removed remaining demonstrators over 3-4 May and secured the site.

By Avinash Govind

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11/06/25

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11/06/25

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