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24 July 2026
Total Graphite plc
('Total Graphite' or the 'Company' or the 'Group')
Appointment of Madagascar Head of Operations and Operational Update
Total Graphite plc, the specialist graphite company developing an integrated mine-to-materials supply chain for the global energy transition, is pleased to announce the appointment of Graeme Chester as Madagascar Head of Operations and to provide an update on the optimisation work ongoing at the Vatomina project.
Highlights:
• Operational and geological workstreams, including drilling, mine planning, infrastructure upgrades and final plant optimisation work, designed to improve operational performance continue at increasing pace.
• Appointment of experienced Head of Operations to oversee completion of optimisation workstreams and operational readiness in preparation for production restart above 1,000 MTs per month targeted from January 2027.
Madagascar Operations Update
Further to the announcement dated 17 July 2026, the diamond drilling campaign is continuing at the Vatomina project to build confidence in the mineral resource and support mine planning for the upcoming mining production restart and beyond. To date seven diamond drill holes of have been drilled, with promising intersections of graphitic mineralisation.
An independent external geologist is in the process of reviewing the initial results and is supporting the design of the ongoing drill plan, ahead of a planned site visit in August. Assay results for the drill holes to date are pending, and the Company continues to anticipate announcing drill results on a regular basis going forward.
Madagascar Head of Operations
The Board is pleased to note the appointment of Mr Graeme Chester as Head of Operations in Madagascar. Mr Chester will be focused on guiding and supporting the team on site to implement the workstreams identified for optimising production and bringing about operational readiness in an intense work programme concentrated over the next several months ahead of the January 2027 Vatomina restart target. Mr Chester will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
Mr Chester is an experienced mining engineer with approximately 50 years of experience in minerals, mining, construction and project management, having worked in various countries across Africa, Australia and Asia. Mr Chester specialises in turnarounds and operational improvements and carried out the recent comprehensive on site review that identified the number of opportunities to prepare the Vatomina project for operational readiness to produce above 1,000 tons per month. Mr Chester will provide operational leadership utilising his experience to enhance reporting, embed additional procedures and practices to an international standard, and build the team ahead of restarting regular mining and production.
The Board notes that SRK in its Competent Person's Report completed for the Company in March 2026 estimated an exploration target of 18-20Mt at Vatomina with a 4% graphitic content, to complement the existing resource base (6Mt at 3.8% graphitic content). Drilling is targeted to enable consisted quality production from mining to produce sustainable monthly volumes of graphite above 1,00MTs from January 2027.
Graeme Chester, Head of Operations, commented:
"I am excited to be joining the Total Graphite team to provide operational leadership at Vatomina during the current drilling and operational readiness optimisation programme, ahead of restarting mining from a robust platform. During the recent operational review, I worked closely with the team to identify numerous worthwhile opportunities for improvements and efficiency gains, and I am looking forward to helping the team prioritise and implement these over the coming months."
Christian Dennis, Chairman, commented:
"I am delighted that Graeme has accepted our invitation to join the Total Graphite Team at this important time as we work through the implementation of the Vatomina optimisation plan. Graeme's expertise and proven track record will be of great benefit to the Company and this appointment demonstrates the disciplined approach the Board is taking to prepare Vatomina for sustainable long term production.
I look forward to updating shareholders further as we progress through the Vatomina workstreams and the other development plans that we have laid out, which should make the coming months a busy time for the Company as we work to create value for all stakeholders in Total Graphite."
ENDS
Enquiries:
Total Graphite plc Christian Dennis - Chairman Arun Somani - Chief Executive Officer Thomas Hill - Finance Director | AlbR Capital Limited - Financial Adviser David Coffman / Dan Harris +44 (0) 20 7469 0930 |
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