Graphite of Xingshan County is featured by large reserves, high grade, no pollution and easy to exploit. How to scientifically develop and utilize this valuable resource and how to reach a consensus to make this industry bigger and stronger? On May 14th, Xingshan County Party committee and government invited more than 50 experts and entrepreneurs to give suggestions for the further development of graphite industry, including Li Qingchun---senior engineer of Institute of Process Engineering, China Academy of Sciences, Sheng Wanci---Professor of the Department of Materials in Tinghua University, Han Yufeng---the chairman of Chinese Graphite Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, Zhang Jie---the chairman of China Investment Association of Energy Development and Research Center, and Yue Xinqing---the chairman of Yichang Xincheng Graphite Co., Ltd .

The experts unanimously agreed that the expected reserves of Dongchong River Graphite Mining District in Xingshan was more than 100 million tons, and they all belonged to high-grade large flake graphite, therefore, they were suitable for processing into high-purity graphite, high-carbon graphite, expandable graphite, graphite building materials, negative cathode material and graphene, which showed high value-added products. Most mine lot of this is strip mine, and few need stripping, thus the mining costs are very low. More importantly, the graphite itself has no pollution and is conducive to maintaining the ecological balance. Therefore, accelerating the construction of graphite industrial clusters is good to both adjustment of the industrial structure and improvement of economic quality.

Reporters learned in the interview that four years ago, the county seized the opportunity to develop graphite industry, successfully introduced the local largest-scale graphite enterprise, and built Dongchong River Graphite Mining and Deep Processing Project. Last year, it introduced the Australian Triton Materials Ltd. and Xincheng Graphite Co., Ltd. to jointly invest 320 million yuan, and set up Hubei Xincheng Cuiteng Technology Co., Ltd., and co-built 100,000 tons of cladding fine flake high gas-tight and high strength graphite sheet production line. In the same year, the county also introduced a low-cost scale preparation of graphene microchip project. All these showed that graphite industrial development in this county was getting better. "Xingshan has a large reserve of graphite, if blindly exploited; it must be a waste of resources. This time we asked well-known entrepreneurs and experts for advice, and the purpose was to unify our understanding, clarify ideas, scientific planning, and strive to take more practical measures." Wang Xiaobo, the Mayor and the Vice Party Secretary of Xingshan County Committee, said to reporters.

According to his introduction, in the next few years, based on graphite compound seal materials, graphene microchip and other new materials projects, supported by large reserves, good quality strip graphite and mineral resources, and guided by "graphite industry development plan", Xingshan County will make full efforts to build a graphite based material industrial park and high-carbon graphite materials industrial park, and strive to complete ten billions of graphite industry cluster as early as possible.  (Reporters Tian Yunbing, Liu Wangshu, Correspondents Zou Yuanjing, Yin Xianhua)