India’s largest speciality carbon black maker Himadri Speciality Chemical, which has commissioned the country’s first anode material production facility in West Bengal, is planning to export the anode material, an essential material for producing lithium-ion batteries, to overseas markets, especially to the US and Europe, from the third quarter this fiscal.
The Kolkata-headquartered company achieved a significant milestone with the commissioning of the country’s first anode material production facility at Mahistikry, West Bengal, on Thursday with an initial capacity of 200 MTPA.
“We have been working on this anode material technology for the last 14 years. We have made huge investment for developing this product. And the quality of our product, which we are producing, is very high. We are the first company in India to commercialise anode material production for lithium-ion battery,” Anurag Choudhary, CMD & CEO, Himadri Speciality Chemical, told businessline.
“Now, Himadri is producing both anode and cathode materials. Both these materials are needed for making lithium-ion batteries. Both these products account for around 65 per cent cost of a lithium-ion cell,” Choudhary said.
The company has a plan to expand the production capacity of the anode material production facility in West Bengal. Going forward, it is looking to export around 70 per cent of its total production.
“For us, the US and Europe will be the two major markets. Currently, Chinese players are mainly supplying the anode material to the US. In this market, we will have an advantage over the Chinese firms, which are facing huge import duty,” Choudhary pointed out.
During the fourth quarter last fiscal, the company’s revenue from operations stood at ₹1288 crore, registering a 14 per cent growth year-on-year. On a consolidated basis, it crossed a milestone of recording its highest-ever full-year EBITDA of Rs 1006 crore for the last financial year, representing around 19 per cent year-on-year growth.
“FY26 was a landmark year for Himadri, as we consistently delivered on stakeholder commitments. Our core speciality chemicals business maintained strong momentum, supported by disciplined execution and sustained demand. We commenced operations at our new 70,000 MTPA speciality carbon black line at Mahistikry, West Bengal, scaling up total carbon black capacity to 250,000 MTPA, with 130,000 MTPA dedicated to speciality carbon black,” the CMD added.