WESTWATER RESOURCES INC

Graphite is the name given to a common form of the element carbon. Occurring naturally as a mineral in deposits around the world, graphite is used in many industrial applications. These end uses take advantage of graphite’s natural characteristics, which include high lubricity, high resistance to corrosion, the ability to withstand high temperatures while remaining highly stable, and excellent conductivity of heat and electricity.

In recent years, graphite has become an essential component in the production of all types of electrical storage batteries. Graphite’s role will continue to be important as demand for these batteries increases due to the world’s growing electric vehicle and energy-storage needs. Natural battery-grade graphite products are derived from flake graphite that has been transformed through a series of specialty downstream processes into various battery graphite products. These processes include, but are not limited to:

Natural flake graphite is increasingly supplanting or supplementing the use of synthetic graphite in battery applications for cost and performance reasons. Through a series of sophisticated and precise processing steps, flake-graphite concentrates are transformed into high-value end products for the battery industry. Coated spherical purified graphite is used as a graphite anode or anode active material in lithium-ion batteries.

The global battery market demand for natural graphite in 2023 was 237,034 tpa (Benchmark, 2023). The greatest share of this market is made up of two battery-market segments that require advanced battery-grade graphite products:

Graphite is a critical, non-substitutable constituent in these listed battery segments. According to Benchmark Intelligence, the need for graphite to support the battery market is expected to grow over the next decade. Total graphite demand is expected to reach approximately 4,480,375 tpa in 2033 with a projected CAGR of 15.5%, of which approximately 1,685,688 tpa is projected to be natural graphite with a projected CAGR of 19.9%.

Competition between natural and synthetic graphite is expected to continue in lithium-ion batteries with differentiation between the two based on price, performance, and availability. Common precursor materials in the production of synthetic graphite come from either petroleum needle coke, or coal needle coke. However, synthetic graphite and natural graphite blends are becoming popular choices for electric vehicle applications to optimize performance and cost by taking advantage of each graphite attribute, such as cycle life, energy density, and cost. Synthetic graphite consumption by anode manufacturers is expected to grow because of the concentration of the graphite industry in China; however, natural flake graphite demand is forecasted to grow at a higher rate because of natural graphite’s higher reversible capacity, lower CO 2 footprint and cost efficiencies when compared to synthetic graphite.

Approximately 78% of natural graphite anode global supply comes from China (Benchmark, 2023). In addition, China is one of the largest global importers of natural graphite flake, relying on less expensive African sources. Both of these factors cause China to pose a geopolitical risk, particularly to the EU and U.S. regions. China and the United States have imposed tariffs and export controls on critical minerals, including graphite, indicating the potential for further trade barriers between China and the United States. Effective December 1, 2023, China began requiring government approval for exports of two types of graphite products, including high-purity, high-hardness and high-intensity synthetic graphite material and natural flake graphite and its products. Westwater believes these export restrictions continue to highlight the supply-chain risk for the U.S. and other countries related to natural graphite products and could provide an opportunity for Westwater.

Overall battery consumption is rising at an accelerated growth rate due to recent and robust developments in electric-automobile markets, personal electronic devices, electrical grid storage, and is an enabling technology for wind and solar power installation. The global shift towards low- and zero-emissions vehicles and power sources is expected to drive increasing demand for graphite-battery materials for the foreseeable future. Recent developments in this sector include:

Currently, the primary source of battery-grade graphite is from China, presenting the global battery industry with significant risks, including supply chain management risks, economic risks, geopolitical risks, and environmental sustainability concerns. Also, critical domestic production is lacking in the United States. A Presidential Executive Order signed on September 30, 2020 includes graphite on a list of minerals critical to the safety and security of the United States. With limited current domestic natural graphite production of any kind, the United States is presently required to source most of its battery graphite from China. On February 24, 2021, the President signed another Executive Order that seeks to promote more resilient supply chains, to revitalize and rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity, and maintain America’s competitive edge in research and development. The 2021 Executive Order tasked the Secretary of Energy, as part of a larger study involving several branches of the United States government, to submit a report identifying risks to the supply chain for high-capacity batteries including those that power electric vehicles. On June 8, 2021, the White House released a response to the findings of this study in support of securing an end-to-end domestic supply chain for advanced batteries,

including investment in domestic production and processing of critical minerals. Key recommendations in the June 8, 2021 release include, among other things, providing funding and financial incentives to encourage consumer adoption of electric vehicles, providing financing to support advanced battery production, and investing in the development of next-generation batteries.

On March 31, 2022, President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to encourage the domestic production of critical materials, including graphite, for advanced batteries for electric vehicles and clean energy storage. On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”). This legislation includes an investment of approximately $370 billion in climate programs. The IRA provides a 10% tax credit for the costs of producing certain critical minerals, including graphite and vanadium. This credit is eligible for direct pay and is also transferable to unrelated taxpayers. In addition, a key provision of the IRA that could indirectly benefit the Company is the Clean Vehicle credit. The IRA eliminates the previous limitation on the number of electric vehicles a manufacturer can sell before the Clean Vehicle credit is phased out or eliminated. Further, the IRA sets a minimum domestic content threshold for the percentage of the value of applicable critical minerals contained in the battery of the electric vehicles.

On December 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury Department”) published guidance on key requirements for federal clean vehicle tax credits established by the IRA; most significantly, the Treasury Department proposed new regulations to clarify the application of Foreign Entity of Concern (“FEOC”) credit eligibility exclusions. The U.S. Department of Energy simultaneously released companion interpretive regulations regarding the scope and application of FEOC-related restrictions. Most importantly, both sets of guidance identified the People’s Republic of China as an FEOC. These regulations are important because, starting in 2025, any vehicle whose batteries contain critical minerals – including graphite – that were extracted or processed in any way, and to any degree, by an FEOC – including China – will be ruled ineligible for the Clean Vehicle Tax credit of $7,500 under section 30D of the Internal Revenue Code. As a result, an FEOC must be excluded from a vehicle battery’s supply chain in order for the vehicle to be eligible for the tax credit. Because Westwater is not an FEOC and intends to produce battery grade graphite for lithium-ion batteries to be used in electric vehicles in the United States, management believes its future production of battery-graphite products will meet the domestic content requirements of the IRA, which we anticipate will provide indirect future benefit to the Company.

The State of Alabama and local municipalities have entered into incentive agreements with the Company for the siting of the Company’s proposed graphite processing plant in Coosa County, Alabama. The incentive agreements provide certain tax credits and incentives under the Alabama Jobs Act in connection with the construction of the Kellyton Graphite Plant.

Westwater has developed graphite-purification technology and advanced product-development processes designed to meet the demands of potential customers for battery-grade graphite materials. Westwater is developing methodologies and constructing facilities intended to produce high-purity, battery-grade graphite products at its Kellyton Graphite Plant. These products are designed to serve all major battery sectors with an initial focus on supporting the electric vehicle and energy storage markets. In addition, we believe the processes we intend to use are environmentally sustainable and permittable in the United States, where a robust regulatory environment complements our core values to reliably deliver safe, well-made products to our customers.

Westwater has and will continue to support the efforts by the relevant United States governmental agencies, the State of Alabama and local municipalities to ensure that they remain aware of the importance of natural battery-grade graphite, its importance to the nation’s security, and how the Kellyton Graphite Plant and the Coosa Graphite Deposit fit into the critical minerals-equation.