Atlas Critical Minerals has published a maiden mineral resource estimate for its Malacacheta graphite project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project hosts 17.2 million tons indicated at 5.73% graphitic carbon and another 7.0 million tons inferred at 5.40%, for roughly 1.36 million tons of contained graphite. The company says that makes it the largest reported graphite resource in South America under S-K 1300, NI 43-101 or JORC, though the comparison is based on its own review of public disclosures. The resource sits near surface and is considered amenable to open pit mining, with only 2.5 kilometers of an 11 kilometer corridor drilled so far. Atlas plans to expand drilling, run metallurgical testwork, and deliver a preliminary economic assessment by Q2 2027. Because graphite is the dominant anode material in lithium-ion batteries and also has nuclear and industrial uses, this project is directly relevant to the low-carbon supply chain. The grade is high relative to some major U.S. projects, but flake size, recovery and downstream processing will determine whether it becomes a real source of battery grade material.
