DRC rail line may get $1B from U.S. finance agency
The United States may offer as much as $1 billion to revamp a rail line in central Africa that could help facilitate critical minerals shipments from the Democratic Republic of…
cobalt
Electra restarts construction at Ont. cobalt refinery
Electra Battery Materials (TSX-V, Nasdaq: ELBM) said it’s resumed construction at its Ontario cobalt sulfate refinery after securing about $82 million (C$115 million) in project financing. The stock soared. Work…
Electra ‘fully funded’ to build Ontario cobalt refinery
Electra Battery Materials (Nasdaq, TSXV: ELBM) says it’s now fully funded to complete the construction and commissioning of what would be the first cobalt sulphate refinery in North America. The…
Appian, World Bank unit start $1B critical minerals fund
U.K. private-equity firm Appian Capital Advisory is teaming up with the World Bank-owned International Finance Corporation (IFC) to start a $1-billion critical minerals, metals and mining fund that will be…
DRC to impose cobalt export quotas
The Democratic Republic of Congo will end a ban on cobalt exports next month and impose annual shipment quotas instead as the world’s biggest producer of the metal seeks to…
KoBold signs Congo deal to boost US mineral supply
The Democratic Republic of Congo and U.S.‑based Kobold Metals have struck a preliminary mineral exploration agreement that deepens American involvement in the country’s critical‑minerals sector. The deal opens the door…
Lifezone cuts Kabanga project value to $1.6B
Lifezone Metals‘ (NYSE: LZM) feasibility study for the flagship Kabanga nickel project cuts the asset’s net present value and mine life while boosting production costs compared with a more speculative…
Funding propels Fortune closer to NWT bismuth decision
Cross-border government aid is helping Canada’s Fortune Minerals (TSX: FT) approach a construction decision next year on its main Nico cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper deposit in the Northwest Territories. Fortune secured grants last…
Top five EV makers responsible for 50% of cobalt deployed in 2020
In 2020, a total of 18,750 tonnes of cobalt were consumed in the batteries of newly-sold passenger EVs globally, an increase of 29% year-over-year, a new report by Adamas Intelligence…
Glencore’s Mutanda mine on care and maintenance for ‘two years at least’: report
A year ago, Glencore (LSE: GLEN) announced it was halting operations at its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine in the Congo, breathing life into a market that was trading at levels 70%…
First Cobalt pushes ahead with refinery expansion plan
First Cobalt (TSXV: FCC) is moving directly into an expansion scenario for its permitted cobalt refinery in Ontario after conducting a detailed engineering study on the facility. The company said…
KoBold Metals employs big data, geoscientists in pursuit of battery metals
KoBold Metals is investing in battery metal projects using big data and scientific computing with capital from billionaires including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. The privately held California-based company has…