The world has entered a new … Read more
After today’s news that some end users of cobalt have been served with a US lawsuit, it is important to remember the salient points of cobalt in relation to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Here, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence outlines the facts and our opinion of the situation:
> The … Read more
Glencore’s Mutanda mining operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been placed on care and maintenance a month early, citing difficulties sourcing sulphuric acid needed to extract cobalt and copper.
First announced in August, the suspension of the operation was a shock to the electric vehicle supply chain… Read more
Today, Glencore announced a revamped deal with the world’s largest precursor producer, GEM Co Ltd, for cobalt hydroxide that equates to 61,200 tonnes of contained cobalt for a five year period between 2020 and 2024.
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimates that the deal is for 25% of Glencore’s forecasted cobalt hydroxide … Read more
After many weeks of speculation, official announcements on 23 May from both Umicore and Freeport Cobalt confirm the sale of the Kokkola refinery in Finland to Umicore.
Umicore will purchase the refinery and battery precursor operations from Freeport Cobalt, whilst the cobalt fine powders, ceramics, pigments, chemicals and catalysts activities … Read more
BMW has announced that it will buy cobalt from mines in Australia and Morocco as it makes further steps towards securing its supply of battery raw materials.
This follows on from BMW’s announcement in September last year that it had agreed a five-year supply arrangement to source lithium hydroxide from … Read more
By RCS Global Group
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is estimated to supply two thirds of global cobalt used for battery manufacturing. Unfortunately, the country also constitutes one of the weak links in responsible global supply chains. This past month is no exception although efforts by different stakeholders are … Read more
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has welcomed the overwhelming reaction to the US Senate hearing on Tuesday 5 February in Washington, DC, which focused on electric vehicle and energy storage supply chains.
Led by Chairman Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), the hearing was the first of the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural … Read more
Is cobalt becoming its own worst enemy? Simon Moores, Managing Director, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence explores Glencore’s latest move to pull hydroxide supply from the market in the midst of contract negotiating season and what it means for cobalt’s strained relationship with cathode, battery and electric vehicle (EV) producers.
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On … Read more
Lithium and cobalt prices are experiencing a new period of volatility as prices crest from post-2010 highs. Both speciality minerals that are key components in an electric vehicle’s lithium ion battery began to see a downward turn in 2018.
The Benchmark World Tour 2018 – the world’s leading investor forum … Read more