A prototype battery made from domestic graphite has been tested in Ukraine.

BGV Group successfully tested a prototype lithium-ion battery using Ukrainian graphite mined in the Kirovohrad region. As part of the pilot project, BGV Graphite developed and tested the anode material for a lithium-ion battery. The testing yielded results that met the highest global standards. The next step will be the development of a fully functional two-electrode prototype battery, scheduled for production in the fall of 2025, utilizing Ukrainian graphite.

“We are consistently moving toward the formation of a complete chain of lithium-ion battery creation in Ukraine,” noted the head of BGV Graphite, Viktor Tanay.

BGV Group Management has been investing in projects for the extraction and processing of graphite and beryllium since 2015, investing approximately $100M. The main project is BGV Graphite, which is being developed at the Balakhivka deposit in the Kirovohrad region. In partnership with Metso, construction of a beneficiation plant has commenced, and the design of a mining and beneficiation complex will begin in the first quarter of 2026.

The BGV Graphite project, which will produce spheronized graphite (SPG), is estimated to require roughly $450M in investment according to preliminary calculations.