Green Energy

The Democratic Republic of Congo may soon more than double the tax mining companies operating in the country pay on exports of cobalt, a key component in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars and mobile phones. The African nation, responsible for about two thirds of global cobalt output, has been evaluating the measure since […]

The Democratic Republic of Congo is preparing to more than double a tax on two-thirds of global cobalt supply, potentially increasing the cost of the critical battery metal just as the world begins to embrace electric vehicles. Congo, the world’s biggest cobalt producer, will increase the royalty miners pay on exports of the metal to […]

Cobalt prices rocketed by 130 per cent over the course of 2017, rising from $41,360 per tonne at the start of January 2017 to $96,000 per tonne at the beginning of 2018. This figure also represented an increase of $63,575 from the metal’s two-year low in February 2016. The massive increase has been largely spurred by a […]

Labor strife, rights issues in Congo spur Canadian mining firms to seek other sources TORONTO — A handful of Canadian miners are ramping up operations to mine cobalt, betting on demand for a socially responsible source of the metal that is in high demand as a key component of electric cars. Most cobalt currently comes […]

Australia, home to the world’s second-biggest cobalt reserves, is seeing a rush of interest in projects still years from production as makers of batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) seek supplies of the metal from a more costly but less risky source than top miner, the Democratic Republic of Congo. As auto makers seek to […]

Cobalt prices have gone ballistic in 2017 with the metal quoted on the LME touching $75,000 a tonne a week ago, a 127% surge year to date and a more than 20% jump just over the last month. Lithium carbonate prices began its run up two years ago, going from $6,100 per tonne to average […]