FOX Business’ Jeff Flock joins ‘Mornings and Maria’ to report on America’s first graphite mine in decades and the push to reduce US dependence on China for the precious mineral.
A quiet revival is underway in New York State, highlighting a major shift in America’s industrial and national security priorities.
Titan Mining has begun processing the first newly produced US graphite since the 1950s, turning the seemingly ordinary rock into something now considered essential for everything from advanced batteries to modern weapons systems.
For many people, graphite reminds them of pencils. However, it has become the backbone of the economy for energy and defense. The mineral is a key component in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), drones, telecommunications equipment and military hardware. It is also used in nuclear reactors, missiles and high-temperature industrial applications, giving it a major role in both everyday technology and national defense.
For decades, the United States has allowed its graphite supply chain to drift offshore. Today, all US graphite is imported, about 42% from our biggest enemy, China. Reliance on a single foreign supplier has turned graphite from a back-end mineral into a growing national security issue as US-China competition intensifies.
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Titan Mining CEO Rita Adiani pointed out those risks directly.
“…That’s why it’s a unique proposition to be a domestic producer because it’s a national security issue,” Adiani said.
These pressures have created a growing policy response in Washington. Under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), federal agencies face strict restrictions on acquiring valuable material from foreign adversaries. That puts homegrown graphite projects like Titan’s squarely in the spotlight.
“…Under the NDAA there are strict restrictions on procurement and that is why we are playing a very important role,” Adiani said.
Adiani emphasized how unexpected discoveries could reshape the country’s resource map.
“So we have 120,000 hectares of mineral rights. We went looking for zinc, and we found graphite,” he said.
He explained how raw rock is converted into clean material on site.
“So what you’re looking at here is the mine rock that we get on the ground. We take that, and we concentrate that up to very high levels of graphite… The flotation circuit that you see here is about 95 to 99% graphite.”
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As Washington tightens procurement rules and US industries look to protect sustainable materials, graphite is moving from a niche to a strategic resource. The reopening of US manufacturing adds a new chapter to how those supply chains are being rebuilt.
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