Can you introduce Ferroglobe?

Today, Ferroglobe PLC is a global leader in advanced metallurgical products critical to the sustainable advancement of society and is the largest producer of silicon metal, silicon-based alloys, manganese-based alloys, and ferroalloys in the Western world. We have plants in Canada, the US, Argentina, Spain, France, Norway and South Africa, and we produce our own electrodes in China. Having this integrated, yet global, spread of assets gives us a significant competitive advantage, especially given the supply chain difficulties, geopolitical tensions, and trade measures the world has experienced over the past few years.  Ferroglobe is also backward integrated, with our own quartz mines in Canada, Alabama and South Carolina in the US, Spain, and South Africa, a coal mine in Kentucky, US, and electrode production in China.

How do Ferroglobe's North American assets contribute to the company's overall revenue?

North America accounts for approximately 40% of Ferroglobe's business. Our West Virginia facility mainly produces silicon metal; our Ohio facility produces silicon metal, ferrosilicon and foundry products; and our Alabama facility mainly produces ferrosilicon specialties. Ferroglobe also has the Alabama sand and gravel quartz mine, a high-quality quartz mine in Marlboro County, South Carolina (acquired in October 2023), and a coal mine in Kentucky. We also have an idle plant in Selma, Alabama, with two small furnaces that produce either silicon metal or ferrosilicon.

What is Ferroglobe's expansion strategy in the US?

Ferroglobe has not been particularly focused on any expansion activities as the market has been somewhat distorted over the past three years by dumping and circumvention activities, mainly from Asia, Central Asia and India. However, the US remains an attractive market for us, and we have announced our plan to expand silicon metal production capacity in the US. The challenge is that most of the product mix has become commoditized, and we are living in a period of unfair competition. This is where the significance of the US market comes into play, as they have a highly protected market and strong anti-dumping policies. Additionally, the authorities are currently making clear decisions to expand domestic primary aluminum capacity, and it is not possible to produce aluminum without desulphurizing it with silicon metal. This will lead to significant growth in US silicon metal demand.
Another aspect of driving demand for silicon metal is solar energy. 

How is Ferroglobe’s collaboration with Coreshell advancing battery performance?

As demand for EV batteries worldwide increases, there is strong activity in developing battery technology. Battery anodes are made from graphite, but today, 90% of the graphite comes from China. There have been significant attempts to introduce silicon into batteries, but they have failed, as despite its high electrical capacity, silicon metal tends to swell when lithium ions discharge at the anode, preventing the battery from functioning. Coreshell's proprietary battery technology, featuring a unique nanomaterial electrode coating, is the only proven solution to mitigate the degradation of micrometric silicon, preventing its rapid loss of life while still allowing lithium ions to pass through. Ferroglobe's proprietary metallurgical purification process to produce up to 99.999% silicon is cost-effective and does not use any chemical reagents, a key technology for producing affordable silicon active material. These innovations enable, for the first time the development of lithium-ion batteries with metallurgical silicon-dominant anodes that meet product requirements for lifetime across a range of applications. We are currently sampling cells with OEMs in the US and Europe, and our ambition is to be in the market with this new technology by the end of 2027.

What are Ferroglobe's priorities in North America for the following years?

North America will be a focus area for Ferroglobe moving forward, and we will continue advancing our plans to increase Silicon Metal production in the US. The US has a clear goal and willingness to help strategic industries develop and grow, and we will continue to contribute to developing a reliable, homegrown supply of silicon metal in the US. Ferroglobe will keep driving innovation of critical materials essential to a sustainable future.

Our 2022-2026 ESG strategy is based on four strategic pillars: strengthening our governance framework; promoting a solid and honest engagement with our people, stakeholders and the local communities where we operate; reinforcing the role of sustainability throughout our value chain; and improving our environmental footprint.