April 8 (Reuters) - Malaysia's Graphjet Technology ( GTI )

said on Monday it would build a commercial artificial

graphite production facility in Nevada, as the U.S. looks to

reduce its dependence on China for the electric-vehicle battery

component.

Graphjet ( GTI ), which holds patents in producing graphite and

graphene from agricultural waste, said the facility could

produce 10,000 metric tons of battery-grade graphite -

sufficient to power more than 100,000 electric vehicles per

year.

China, the world's top graphite producer and exporter, has

tightened exports of the key battery material used in nearly all

EV battery anodes.

Graphjet ( GTI ) expects to invest between $150 million and $200

million. The company aims to commission the facility and begin

production in 2026.

"We are laser focused on getting our commercial production

online as quickly as possible and are in discussions with

several players to secure offtake agreements for our planned

Nevada facility," CEO Aiden Lee said in a statement.