Battery Metals - Copperbelt Katanga Mining

Cobalt, nickel battery use rises as electric sports cars gain popularity

April 21, 2021April 21, 2021 admin

Despite a big drop from December’s blowout, largely due to seasonal factors, the February 2021 MINING.COM EV Metal Index, which tracks the value of battery metals in newly registered passenger EVs (including hybrids) around the world, still ranks as the fourth best month on record. Just shy of $300 million worth of lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite hit roads in February, up 170% from the same month last year as the impact of the coronavirus only just started to ripple beyond China. For the first two months, the year on… Read More Here

Mining in DRC Battery Metals Cobalt International

Saudi Arabia of cobalt: Congo eyes battery-metal price power

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 admin

Democratic Republic of Congo, the world’s main source of vital battery ingredient cobalt, is also one of the poorest nations. And while it’s dominated by huge industrial mines, about a fifth of its silvery-blue metal is still hand-dug, in often unregulated and dangerous conditions. Jean-Dominique Takis Kumbo, the head of the new state cobalt buyer, is determined to change that. His Entreprise Generale du Cobalt will have a monopoly on all hand-dug cobalt in the central African country, giving it power to improve working conditions and potential control of nearly… Read More Here

Mining in DRC Battery Metals Lithium New Mining Projects Tin

AVZ signs binding SC6 offtake agreement with lithium converter

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 admin

AVZ Minerals has secured a strategic, long-term offtake partner agreement with Yibin Tianyi Lithium Industry. The Company and Yibin Tianyi have signed a binding offtake agreement for the supply of spodumene concentrate (SC6) from the Manono Lithium and Tin Project. Yibin Tianyi is a leading global battery materials producer that is continuing to expand its lithium hydroxide production capacity as a key participant in the supply chain of Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest lithium-ion battery maker. AVZ’s MD, Nigel Ferguson, said: “We are very pleased to conclude our… Read More Here

Mining in DRC Battery Metals Lithium New Mining Projects

AVZ Minerals signs first tin offtake agreement for Manono project

March 29, 2021March 29, 2021 admin

Emerging Democratic Republic of Congo producer AVZ Minerals (ASX: AVZ) has secured a three-year offtake agreement for the sale of 600 metric tonnes per annum of tin concentrate from the Manono lithium and tin project to industrial metals trader Kalon Resources. The agreement is the first tin sale from Manono and equates to approximately 43% of the total tin concentrate available for sale from the project. Under the terms of the offtake deal, AVZ will supply 600 metric tonnes of concentrate to Kalon, with a minimum 55% tin content and expected grades… Read More Here

Battery Metals Cobalt International

Electric cars will cost more using ethically sourced batteries

March 16, 2021March 16, 2021 admin

The European Union’s efforts to ethically source a key battery metal face headwinds that could make it more expensive for automakers to go electric. Cobalt is the battery metal at the highest risk of being exploited in ways that damage the health of people and the environment. Most of the world’s supply comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with as much as a third of that supplied by small-scale miners who often work in dangerous conditions. Regulators have begun developing rules designed to help industry avoid damaging its reputation. But those “ambitious requirements… Read More Here

Battery Metals Cobalt International Mining in DRC

Spike in electric vehicle sales drives cobalt price hike

March 15, 2021March 15, 2021 admin

Demand and prices for battery material cobalt are soaring as electric vehicles stream out of showrooms in China and Europe, with little prospect of a significant reversal as drivers and governments move to cut carbon emissions, reports Reuters. Payables – a reference to the percentage of the cobalt metal price used to price hydroxide, a feedstock for electric vehicle (EV) batteries – are up at around 93-94% from about 63-69% a year ago, analysts from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said. “Primarily the price rise has been driven by real demand, largely… Read More Here

Battery Metals Nickel

Tesla gets involved in New Caledonia mine to secure nickel supply

March 7, 2021March 9, 2021 admin

Electric cars maker Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) will become a technical adviser at the conflict-ridden New Caledonia nickel mine, as part of the company’s attempt to secure enough supply of the key battery metal, which CEO Elon Musk has singled out as the his biggest concern. Political leaders in the French Pacific territory agreed on Thursday to sell a majority stake in Vale’s nickel business to a consortium called Prony, which includes Swiss commodity trader Trafigura. The Brazilian miner, the world’s top nickel producer, had been on the hunt for a buyer for over a… Read More Here

Cobalt Battery Metals International

Battery demand to maintain elevated cobalt prices – report

March 2, 2021March 2, 2021 admin

This year, Fitch Solutions expects a rebound in auto production, coupled with the accelerating EV uptake to keep cobalt prices on an uptrend. These sectors will serve as the primary battery end-market for cobalt chemicals such as cobalt hydroxide, the industry analyst says in its latest report. Battery metals have risen to the forefront of attention in 2021, as major economies continue to embark on green recoveries from the covid-19 pandemic. Cobalt, in both its metallurgical and chemical forms plays an important role in this increasing transition to greener energy infrastructure and… Read More Here

Battery Metals International

Tesla hit by battery shortage amid rallying lithium, cobalt, nickel prices

January 29, 2021January 29, 2021 admin

In a call to investors following disappointing financial results released Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk says Tesla doesn’t have enough cells to put new products like Semi truck into production. “Prototypes are easy. Scaling production is very hard. “The main reason we have not accelerated new products like the Tesla Semi is that we simply don’t have enough cells built. We could easily go into the production of the Semi, but we don’t have enough cells for it right now.” Musk said while the Semi does not cost five times more… Read More Here

Battery Metals

All the mines Tesla needs to build 20 million cars a year

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021 admin

Elon Musk and his merry band of executive vice presidents had plenty of advice for the mining and metals industry at the company’s Battery Day event in September, where the road map to a $25,000 Tesla was laid out. How easy it is to mine lithium (just add salt), just how much of it there is in Nevada (enough for 300 million EVs), how to be environmentally friendly (“put the chunk of dirt back where it was”) and, given these facts, why miners haven’t been trying harder. Since lithium is “just like… Read More Here