The financing forms part of a $58 million package for three critical-mineral companies, announced at a White House Critical Minerals Roundtable. Westwater shares closed up ~88% on the news.
The US Export-Import Bank (EXIM) is directing a US$25 million loan to Westwater Resources for its Alabama graphite operations, the bank announced on Friday.
The loan is part of a US$58 million financing package for three critical-mineral companies, announced at President Donald Trump’s Critical Minerals Roundtable at the White House, held alongside a meeting with executives from some of the world’s largest mining companies.
Westwater shares closed up 87.7% on the day.
The US remains heavily reliant on imported graphite, with China the dominant global supplier of both natural and processed material. Domestic natural graphite production remains limited, and Westwater’s Coosa deposit and Kellyton plant sit within a small group of US projects working to establish an integrated domestic supply chain for battery anode material.
Government-backed financing has become an increasingly important funding channel for US critical-mineral developers, and EXIM support may also assist Westwater’s broader efforts to complete financing for its Kellyton plant.
The Financing
EXIM said the funding covers three companies: Westwater Resources (US$25 million for graphite in Alabama), privately held Global Advanced Metals (US$25 million for tantalum and niobium processing in Pennsylvania), and 5E Advanced Materials (US$8 million for its 5E Boron Americas project in California).
The lending forms part of the administration’s push to reduce US reliance on Chinese supplies of minerals used in weapons, electronics and batteries. Graphite is the largest mineral by volume in lithium-ion batteries.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, America is leading the way in critical minerals development and rare earths processing. Critical mineral security is national security. These deals are a large part of EXIM’s strategy to fortify our supply chains, restore crucial industries that support well-paying American jobs, and safeguard everyday Americans from supply shocks.” John Jovanovic, Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States
Westwater had not issued its own announcement on the loan at the time of writing. The company disclosed in 2025 that it had received a letter of interest from EXIM under the bank’s Make More in America Initiative and China and Transformational Exports Program, submitted a formal application, and was undergoing due diligence review.
The Assets
Westwater’s strategy pairs a domestic graphite resource with downstream processing. The Coosa Graphite Deposit in Coosa County, Alabama, which the company describes as one of the largest and most advanced natural flake graphite deposits in the United States, is intended as long-term feedstock for the Kellyton Graphite Plant, a processing facility under construction in east-central Alabama designed to produce coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG), the primary anode material in lithium-ion batteries.
Background
Westwater Resources, which trades on the NYSE American under the symbol WWR, describes itself as an energy technology and battery-grade natural graphite company. During 2025 the company reported continued construction at Kellyton, including commissioning of micronisation and shaping mills and connection of the plant to the Alabama power grid, alongside permitting progress at Coosa to establish the deposit as a long-term feedstock source.
Primary source: Export-Import Bank of the United States, “Trump Administration Announces $58M in Major New Critical Mineral Deals at White House Roundtable”, 7 August 2026 — view announcement.
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