Westwater Resources progress permitting process for mine development at Coosa Deposit
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Coosa Graphite mine to provide long-term feedstock for nearby Kellyton processing plant
Special to the News
On Monday Westwater Resources Inc. provided an update on the permitting process for mine development at the Coosa Graphite Deposit in Coosa County.
“We’re advancing the Coosa Deposit in what is arguably the best permitting environment for critical minerals in decades,” said Terence J. Cryan, executive chair of Westwater Resources. “Coosa’s location in Alabama offers exceptional advantages – it’s a brownfield site that was previously mined, situated on private land with no nearby population centers or known archaeological sensitivities, and supported by existing infrastructure and proximity to our Kellyton battery graphite anode processing plant. Collectively, these factors provide a clear path toward responsible development and long-term supply security.”
Westwater has retained a third-party engineering firm to lead the permitting process for mine development at the Coosa Deposit and expects to engage with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and other state and local authorities in the coming months.
The permitting process is expected to include preparation of key environmental studies and applications under applicable federal and state frameworks, including, but not limited to, water discharge, wetlands and air permits and other operational and construction-related approvals.
In parallel with permitting activities, the company plans to conduct additional drilling to further delineate and expand the resource base at Coosa. These results will inform ongoing mine planning and design efforts, as Westwater continues to evaluate and optimize the project for efficient, responsible production of natural graphite.
Cryan added, “The Coosa Deposit will serve as a long-term feedstock source for our Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant, linking domestic mining directly to the production of battery-grade anode materials. Importantly, our vertically integrated strategy aligns not only with our customers’ need for reliable, U.S.-based graphite supply, but also with the administration’s broader push to onshore critical mineral production and strengthen America’s energy and defense supply chains.”
About the Coosa Graphite Deposit
The Coosa Graphite Deposit, located in Coosa County, is the largest known natural flake graphite deposit in the contiguous United States. Situated approximately 30 miles west of the company’s Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant, the deposit lies in the heart of the historic, past-producing Alabama Graphite Belt and covers 41,965 acres (about 17,000 hectares).
The deposit contains Indicated Mineral Resources of 26.0 million short tons averaging 2.89% graphitic carbon and Inferred Mineral Resources of 97.0 million short tons averaging 3.08% Cg, hosted in near-surface, soft metamorphic rock well suited to open-pit mining. The Initial Assessment completed in 2023 outlined a pre-tax NPV of $229 million and a pre-tax IRR of 26.7%, based on less than 10% of the property’s total acreage and excluding potential vanadium by-product upside.
About Westwater Resources Inc.
Westwater Resources is an energy technology and critical minerals company that is focused on developing battery-grade natural graphite. Westwater Resources’ primary project is the Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant that is under construction in east-central Alabama. In addition, Westwater Resources’ Coosa Graphite Deposit is the largest and most advanced natural flake graphite deposit in the contiguous United States.
