ExxonMobile announced Tuesday that it is acquiring the technology and U.S.-based assets of Superior Graphite, including most of the company’s production facility in Hopkinsville, for an undisclosed price.
by Jennifer P. Brown
Published: 12:22 am Sep. 10, 2025
The Hopkinsville plant produces graphite, a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries.
“We think Superior Graphite’s technology is a perfect fit for us,” Dave Andrew, ExxonMobil’s vice president for new market development, told Hoptown Chronicle.
Andrew was in Hopkinsville for the announcement, along with Superior Graphite Chairman and CEO Ed Carney.
Although the price was not disclosed, the transaction will benefit Hopkinsville workers who are part of the employee stock ownership plan, said Carney. They have been part owners of Superior Graphite since 2006, he noted.
The deal also includes Superior Graphite’s research and development facility in Bedford Park, Illinois.
The company employs 72 workers in Hopkinsville. Andrew said ExxonMobil plans to maintain that workforce.
Superior Graphite was established in 1917. It has been in operation at its Hopkinsville plant on Calvin Drive since 1977 — making it one of the longest running industrial plants in the community. The plant manager is Jamie Visingardi.
Superior Graphite uses a process it calls “green graphitization technology” in the production of graphite and carbon-based materials. The furnace at the Hopkinsville plant reaches a temperature of approximately 5,000 degrees fahrenheit, which is half the temperature of the surface of the sun, said Carney.
In a press release, ExxonMobil said acquiring Superior Graphite “… marks a major milestone in our strategy to build a robust, synthetic graphite supply chain — right here in the U.S.”
“Compared to traditional mining operations, it’s less labor-intensive, more consistent in quality, and can be made with our carbon-rich feedstocks from existing refining streams,” the release states. “What does that mean in plain English? That we can scale faster and smarter, all while producing a better graphite than what is available in the market today.”
Andrew added, “This is a really important part of Exxon Mobil’s plans to enter the battery end of the market … which we see as a really attractive, growing market.”
ExxonMobil’s interests in EV batteries and energy storage systems require synthetic graphite material that comes from the Hopkinsville plant. The company aims to produce products that “will deliver faster charging and longer life than existing graphite materials today.”
https://hoptownchronicle.org/exxonmobil-is-acquiring-superior-graphites-hopkinsville-production-plant/