Plunging 2,000 feet underground for a critical mineral — graphite
One of Sri Lanka's oldest mines holds valuable deposits of graphite, a critical mineral that makes up the largest part of EV batteries. But even though the country produces the world's purest form, experts say Sri Lanka isn't a global competitor. So what can the country do to meet the world's skyrocketing demand?
Transcript
00:00 This man spends most of his life working inside the deepest mine in Sri Lanka.
00:07 He's after a mineral that is now at the center of the global tech war - graphite.
00:15 It's the largest component of batteries that power electric vehicles.
00:20 And Sri Lanka has the purest graphite in the world.
00:25 But today China produces nearly 70% of the global supply.
00:32 And in a controversial move, it recently restricted exports of the critical mineral to mega buyers like the US.
00:41 So can smaller players like Sri Lanka step up to meet the world's growing demand?
00:47 We went inside the biggest graphite mine in the country to find out.
00:58 Lush rainforests surround the small village of Nithulpithiya, where Neo-Suresh Abesikara grew up.
01:07 The soil here is fertile, and many people grow their own vegetables.
01:12 But the main source of income is graphite mining.
01:18 The village is full of people who work in the mines.
01:26 One of the country's oldest graphite mines, Kaha Tagaha, is about a mile away.
01:37 This elevator is what Neil places his trust in when he goes 2,000 feet underground.
01:44 There are about 12 levels in the mine.
02:04 It takes Neil about 15 minutes to get to the base.
02:09 Down here, it's almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
02:14 The Kaha Tagaha graphite mine is owned by the Sri Lankan government.
02:31 It produces nearly 800 tons a year.
02:36 And the deposits are over 2,500 years old.
02:41 The only way to extract them is to blast the metamorphic rocks with dynamite.
02:47 So Neil and his colleague Guruj Desha Priya have to set up this firing wire and dynamite.
02:55 - You're going to put more in the coal, right? - Yes, more.
02:59 We have to burn this down a bit, or it won't be able to be used.
03:05 They secure the ends with old papers.
03:11 Then, Neil uses a drill to inject fluid into the walls, which helps stabilize them.
03:20 [Dry fire]
03:24 They feed in the wires and dynamite and cushion them.
03:34 It's important to fully seal the hole, so the explosion can create an impact through the wall.
03:44 [Dynamite ignites]
03:47 They light the dynamite and move almost a thousand feet away.
04:09 Then, the men collect the graphite in these carts and move it out through the elevator.
04:15 But if there's a power cut, things can get dire.
04:22 If there's a power cut, we have to go through the elevator.
04:28 We have to go through the elevator at least 8 to 10 times.
04:34 But there's so much more in these walls that miners can't access,
04:43 because their techniques and tools are nearly 150 years old.
04:50 Like this small cart, which can carry two workers at a time deeper into the mine.
05:16 Graphite mining in Sri Lanka can be traced all the way back to the 17th century.
05:22 Its first documented use was for pencils.
05:25 But by the early 20th century, British colonizers were mainly using it to make bombshells and cannonballs.
05:32 Back then, there were nearly 3,000 graphite pits in the country.
05:37 But demand for Sri Lanka's graphite dropped when World War II ended.
05:43 Then in 1971, the government nationalized the sector, and that led to even more neglect.
05:50 Meanwhile, China started pouring resources into mining, leaving Sri Lanka in the dust.
05:57 Today, there are three major graphite mines in Sri Lanka, including Kahadakaha,
06:03 where much of the local processing is done by hand.
06:07 Women sort and cut the graphite at small workshops.
06:12 The purest kind has higher levels of carbon, as much as 95%.
06:17 And the women can identify it by simply looking at the texture, shine and hardness.
06:23 Currently, Sri Lanka produces about 3,000 tons of graphite a year,
06:30 while China churns out nearly 850,000 tons a year.
06:36 Graphite's main use these days is in lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones and laptops.
06:43 And it makes up the largest part of any electric vehicle.
06:48 EV batteries have a positive side and a negative side, and graphite is that negative side.
06:53 The mineral is highly conductive, resistant to heat, and can store energy for a long time,
06:59 making it ideal for EV batteries.
07:03 That industry is expected to triple from $56 billion this year to $187 billion by 2032.
07:12 When you're looking at millions of vehicles being produced every year,
07:18 you're going to need quite a lot of graphite to do that.
07:23 To keep up with demand, China is also making synthetic or artificial graphite.
07:31 Manufacturing it is more expensive and harmful to the environment.
07:35 Now China is controlling who can buy this critical mineral.
07:41 The government recently started requiring companies that export it to apply for a license first.
07:49 And that would allow them to block some foreign buyers from countries like Japan, South Korea and the U.S.,
07:57 which gets a third of its graphite from China.
08:01 Experts say it's a power play, as the two countries compete for dominance.
08:07 China could use this to pressure the U.S. on an array of political issues,
08:13 from the control of Taiwan to the South China Sea.
08:16 So now the U.S. is looking into other sources.
08:22 And that could be Sri Lanka's chance to step up.
08:26 Companies like Ceylon Graphite are testing the material for lithium-ion batteries,
08:31 and have seen positive results.
08:33 It's absolutely a huge opportunity for Sri Lanka to take this material,
08:39 this unique natural advantage that the country has.
08:42 But graphite from Kahadagaha is mostly used to make steel and lubricants.
08:48 Neil says at one point, a thousand people worked here.
08:55 Today, it's less than 60.
08:57 One reason is that wages are low.
09:01 Miners make just 30,000 rupees a month, or nearly a hundred dollars.
09:08 Neil wouldn't tell us his salary.
09:12 But when he clocks up from mining, another job awaits him.
09:22 He also sells vegetables that he grows in his garden.
09:26 While his wife prepares a traditional meal with vegetables,
09:36 he helps the kids with their homework.
09:39 He only finished high school, but he has bigger plans for his sons.
09:46 The oldest is learning Korean, and wants to study abroad.
09:52 Neil hopes he can make it happen,
09:54 so that graphite mining is not the only option for yet another generation.
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