The agreement will enable South Star to perform a bankable feasibility study, which will cover the entire process from mining to final production of CSPG.

Upon successful completion of the study, South Star plans to construct a downstream battery-grade processing facility in the southeast United States.

CSPG is a critical material for lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a wide range of applications, including electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and aerospace.

The United States is currently reliant on foreign sources for CSPG, making it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

This investment will help to strengthen the U.S.-based graphite anode supply chain and aims to reduce the nation's reliance on foreign sources of this critical material.

"This is another example of the critical importance of the Defense Production Act investment authorities... As one of our first awards to a Canadian company in the battery materials sector, this award exemplifies our combined commitment to strengthening our battery material supply chains and global approach to industrial base resilience," said Dr. Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy