In our latest episode, I spoke with Ankur Khaitan, Managing Director and CEO of The Advanced Carbons Company (TACC). TACC is a wholly owned subsidiary of HEG Limited, part of India's LNJ Bhilwara Group, which operates a graphite electrode plant of around 100,000 tpa near Bhopal. TACC is building a commercial-scale synthetic graphite anode plant at Dewas, Madhya Pradesh: 20,000 tpa in the first phase, a project of over ₹2,000 crore (roughly US$200M+) funded by HEG and the State Bank of India, targeted to come online in April 2027, with expansion plans beyond 20,000 tpa expected.
We cover:
- Why TACC came into existence
- Going from demo to commercial
- How Ankur says that approach has helped build customer confidence on scalability
- The April 2027 target and the reality of a greenfield build
- Why Ankur says this is not a plug and play industry
- An agnostic product line covering EVs, ESS, drones and consumer electronics, with EVs expected to take the majority share
- Oil prices and needle coke: why Ankur says the spread holds over time, and why he sees power, TACC's biggest cost, as secured
- Competing with China: Ankur acknowledges TACC won't match fully depreciated, debt-free Chinese plants on total cost today, but believes it can be competitive at an operating level on scale, labour and power. He sees quality as the non-negotiable
- Funding: how the first phase has been funded through parent company HEG and a debt facility from the State Bank of India, and how Ankur sees future expansion being supported
- Other products: graphene derivatives, plus an in-house silicon anode being developed
- What's next: this year is the building year, next year is execution, and then expansion, with TACC planning its growth alongside its customers' growth
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. The content presented on this channel does not constitute financial advice and is intended solely for educational and informational purposes. It should be used as a preliminary resource for conducting your own research.
The views and statements expressed by guests are entirely their own and do not represent the views of GraphiteHub or its host. GraphiteHub does not independently verify all claims made by interview guests and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of third-party statements. Listeners are encouraged to verify any claims independently.
Some content on this channel may be sponsored. Where this is the case, it will always be clearly disclosed.This podcast does not contain any offers, solicitations, or recommendations for the purchase or sale of any securities or investments, nor does it provide an investment strategy.
GraphiteHub disclaims any liability for losses incurred, whether due to negligence or reliance on the information provided in this podcast.
