Free translation by: Franyi Sarmiento, Ph.D., Inspenet, October 10, 2022
Cobalt is a crucial component of electric vehicle batteries and is on the US government’s list of critical minerals. Since 1994 it has not been produced in the US, according to data from the United States Geological Survey.
Last Friday, Jervois Global Ltd. put into operation the first cobalt mine in the United States in Idaho, according to its CEO, Bryce Crocker. This mineral is “at the top of the table” in terms of national security, Crocker said.
“There aren’t many new sources of supply, especially in stable jurisdictions, so this US mine is very important,” Crocker said.
The level of urgency among automakers to secure supplies “is profoundly different than it was two or three years ago,” Crocker said in an interview. “It’s very high now in terms of focus at the director and board level,” he said.
According to Crocker, the Idaho mine is expected to produce 2,000 tons of mined cobalt a year. The concentrated cobalt will be exported and converted into refined products outside the US. before bringing it back to the US. to serve customers, he added.
Jervois owns a nickel and cobalt refinery in Brazil and is in talks with third parties in countries such as Canada and Australia to convert the extracted material. About 80% of the world’s refining is concentrated in China, but capacity is growing elsewhere, including at the Finnish Kokkola refinery owned by Jervois.
This material from the blomberg.com portal has been edited for clarity, style, and length.
Photo: ShutterStock
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