First Cobalt aims to create specialist EV battery materials facility in North America

Electra Battery Materials

07/11/2021 12:00

By Pratima Desai
    LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Canada's First Cobalt  FCC.V  aims
to create North America's first specialist facility for
producing electric vehicle battery materials such as cathode
chemicals, it said on Sunday, as it announced a name change to
Electra Battery Materials.
    Automakers are racing to boost their electric vehicle
offerings, which need quick and easy access to materials such as
cobalt and nickel used to make the lithium-ion rechargeable
batteries that power these cars.
    Some battery metals, such as nickel and cobalt, are already
produced in North America, but the Electra facility could be the
first dedicated specifically to EV battery materials. 
    The company is aiming to produce battery-grade nickel and
cobalt and precursor chemicals for the cathode component of the
batteries for North America. 
    Chief Executive Trent Mell expects Electra to be producing
cobalt sulphate by the fourth quarter of next year, which is
also when its expanded hydrometallurgical battery recycling
facility will be producing 5,000 tonnes of cobalt.
    "Globalisation has created an electric vehicle supply chain
that is too long, too costly and increasingly unreliable," said
Mell.
    "Our automaker clients have a strong interest in greater
localisation of the supply chain to achieve greater reliability,
security of long-term supply and a lower carbon footprint."
    Electra is in talks to secure nickel for its nickel sulphate
facility in 2024-25 which, when combined with its near-term
cobalt output, could supply sufficient raw material to build
more than 1.5 million electric vehicles a year.
     The Biden Administration's 100-day review of critical
supply chains said earlier this year that the U.S. government
should invest in nickel refining capacity in coordination with
its allies.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2NW6WP

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COLUMN-A nickel refinery tops U.S. battery metals wish list:
Andy Home     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL5N2NW6WP
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 (Reporting by Pratima Desai; Editing by Jan Harvey)
 ((pratima.desai@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 513 5681;))