Govt permits import of pet coke as raw material for lithium-ion batteries

The government on Friday permitted the import of pet coke for making graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries as a feedstock and not for any other purposes.

Import of pet coke for fuel purposes is completely banned.

"Import of needle pet coke (NPC) is 'free' for making graphite anode material for Li-ion battery as feedstock/raw material and not for any other purposes, including use as fuel or for trade," the directorate general of foreign trade said in a notification.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in electric vehicles.

The DGFT, however, said that the sulphur content in the NPC should be less than 0.8 per cent, which would be monitored by state pollution control boards.

It also said that the import of low-sulphur pet coke is restricted, and its imports are subject to authorisation from the directorate for use in integrated steel plants only for blending with the coking coal in recovery-type coke ovens equipped with desulphurisation plants.

This is also subject to terms and conditions set out by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of India.

It added that low sulphur pet coke would not be used by the steel industry as fuel or for trade.

Needle cokes are used as a primary material for electrodes used in an electric steel furnace that melts and refines steel scrap. Graphite is commonly used to serve as the anode material in lithium-ion battery manufacturing.