Que: TACC aims to position India as a global hub for advanced energy materials. What does this ambition look like in practical terms for the next 3–5 years?

Ans: With more than 90 percent of advanced battery material supply currently dependent on China, developing reliable alternate sources has become imperative. India’s strong manufacturing ecosystem, supportive government policies, and skilled talent pool create a timely opportunity to bridge this gap.

Leveraging TACC’s integrated R&D, HEG’s material science expertise, and LNJ Bhilwara’s strong manufacturing legacy, TACC aims to convert innovation into commercial success by establishing state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities for advanced anode active materials and graphene. The first phase targets a capacity of 20,000 MTPA of anode materials and over 4,000 MTPA of graphene and derivatives, with planned scale-up over the next five years. In parallel, TACC will continue advancing next-generation materials, including silicon-based anodes and hard carbon, strengthening India’s position as a globally competitive supplier of advanced energy materials.

Que: Can you share timelines and key milestones for commissioning the anode plant and achieving commercial production?

Ans: TACC’s anode plant is scheduled to be commissioned by the first quarter of 2027. All required environmental permissions are in place, and the project is currently under construction on more than 100 acres of industrial land at Dewas, near Indore. In parallel, TACC is advancing customer qualification and product validation through its fully operational demo facility at Mandideep, which has an annual capacity of up to 200 MT and is actively engaged with global cell manufacturers.

Que: What are the biggest barriers in anode material manufacturing today, and how is TACC addressing them?

Ans: The key challenges in anode material manufacturing today lie in technological complexity, price competitiveness, and the surrounding geographic and regulatory ecosystem. Producing anode active materials for lithium-ion batteries requires deep expertise in converting amorphous carbon into crystalline structures through precise, high-temperature heat treatment processes.

Achieving cost competitiveness against a well-established Chinese manufacturing base also calls for a supportive policy framework. While initiatives such as Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India have created strong momentum, there is further scope to strengthen targeted measures such as PLI support for cell components, competitive power tariffs, and manufacturing-linked incentives for advanced materials.

With decades of experience in graphite technology through HEG, TACC is uniquely positioned to overcome these barriers. By combining proven process expertise with a continuous focus on innovation, TACC aims to deliver high-quality, competitively priced anode materials while contributing to a self-reliant and globally competitive battery materials ecosystem in India.

Que: What are the three most critical capabilities India must build to become an advanced energy materials superpower?

Ans: To emerge as an advanced energy materials superpower, India must focus on building three critical capabilities. First, a strong domestic ecosystem that fosters innovation through sustained investment in research, material science, and talent development. Second, end-to-end supply chain capabilities, including secure access to raw materials, intermediate processing, and large-scale manufacturing, to reduce external dependencies and improve resilience. Third, enabling policy frameworks that help translate innovation into commercial reality, through mechanisms such as targeted incentives, infrastructure support, and ease of scale-up, ensuring that breakthroughs in laboratories are successfully deployed in global markets.

Que: What is your long-term vision for TACC over the next decade—technology, market presence, and global impact?

Ans: Over the next decade, TACC’s vision is to evolve into a global powerhouse for material science innovation, playing a defining role in the next wave of industrial and energy transformation. On the production front, TACC plans to significantly scale its anode and graphene manufacturing capacities beyond 100,000 MT per annum, each, while simultaneously advancing next-generation materials such as silicon-based anodes and hard carbon.

In parallel, TACC aims to establish a dedicated centre of excellence to drive cutting-edge research, foster talent, and accelerate the development of future materials. From a market and impact perspective, TACC’s long-term goal is to build a strong global presence and enable the global energy transition through high-quality, sustainable advanced materials developed and manufactured in India.

Que: How is TACC contributing to India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision, particularly in energy storage and advanced materials?

Ans: TACC aims to strengthen domestic capabilities in energy storage and advanced materials at a time when the country is rapidly scaling battery manufacturing. With over 150 GWh of cell capacity announced by 2030, India currently remains highly dependent on imports of key cell components, particularly from China. At the same time, policy frameworks such as the ACC PLI scheme are driving higher levels of domestic value addition across the battery supply chain.

By developing large-scale anode manufacturing, TACC aims to provide a stable and reliable local supply base. The targeted 100,000 MT of anode capacity can support close to 100 GWh of cell manufacturing, significantly reducing import dependence and supporting cell makers in meeting localisation requirements.

TACC is also focused on next-generation materials such as silicon-enhanced anodes and hard carbon for sodium-ion batteries, which are critical for rapidly evolving applications. By developing these materials alongside evolving markets, TACC seeks to position India as a technology leader shaping future energy storage solutions, rather than merely replicating mature global models.

In parallel, TACC’s graphene platform, with its transformative performance and sustainability benefits, has the potential to drive industrial innovation while contributing meaningfully to carbon emission reduction goals. Together, these efforts reinforce India’s journey toward self-reliance and global competitiveness in advanced energy materials.

Que: How does TACC ensure quality, consistency, and performance benchmarks that match or exceed international standards in anode materials?

Ans: TACC ensures quality, consistency, and performance in its anode materials by aligning its processes with global quality and performance standards. The company leverages HEG’s deep market and technical expertise, along with well-established relationships with global suppliers, to ensure consistent input quality across the value chain.

TACC is also deeply invested in research and development, supported by in-house testing and validation infrastructure. This includes advanced material characterisation capabilities and dedicated electrochemical testing laboratories with coin cell and format cell fabrication units. Together, these capabilities enable rigorous quality control, continuous performance validation, and reliable consistency that meet and, in many cases, exceed international benchmarks.

Que: Why has anode material technology struggled to scale successfully outside China, and how does TACC intend to bridge this gap by delivering both world-class quality and global price competitiveness?

Ans: Anode material manufacturing has struggled to scale outside China due to the lack of deep process know-how, integrated supply chains, and large-scale manufacturing experience built there over decades. Many global efforts have fallen short on either quality or cost competitiveness.

TACC bridges this gap by combining proven graphite and high-temperature processing expertise from HEG with scale-ready manufacturing from day one. Through localisation, automation, and operational excellence, and aligned with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, TACC aims to deliver world-class anode quality with global cost competitiveness, offering a reliable China-plus-one supply solution.