Don't forget Mitsui or Sumitomo, as they may want a piece of the pie too. They have divisions that sources the graphite from China to then sell to the Panasonics of the world. They also have mining divisions.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a 2-3 mining companies joining forces to purchase...or 2 japanese mining companies join forces to build a mine

Don't forget about Imerys either...they missed out on Amcol earlier this year with a $+1B bid.

If ZEN nails the output of graphite for immediate end-user consumption (bypassing the middlemen), then all the big-miners will be clamouring for deposit.