Mined flake graphite against graphite manufactured from petroleum coke — competing feedstocks for the same anode.
A crystalline form of carbon used in lithium-ion battery anodes, with two production sources: natural graphite mined from deposits (flake, vein, amorphous) and synthetic graphite produced from petroleum coke. Natural graphite requires purification to battery-grade (>99.95% carbon).
Synthetic performs consistently and costs more energy to make; natural is cheaper but must be processed into coated spherical purified graphite before a battery can use it. A natural graphite project's economics depend on that downstream step, not on the mine.