Critical Supplier
Mining Weekly|November 03, 2017

Battery boom relies on DRC avoiding chaos of past

Bloomberg
Critical Supplier

The cars of the future will depend increasingly on supplies of an obscure metal from a country in the African tropics where there has never been a peaceful transition of power and child labour is still used in parts of the mining industry.

Most major automakers are pledging to build millions of electric vehicles as the world’s governments crack down on climate-damaging emissions from traditional-fuel engines. As a result, demand is surging for lithium-ion batteries, and the materials needed to make them include cobalt, a relatively rare substance found mostly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The country, formerly known as Zaire, supplies 63% of the world’s cobalt. Its market share may increase to 73% by 2025 as producers like Glencore expand mines, according to Wood Mackenzie. By 2030, global demand could be 47 times more than it was last year, Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates.

“There are a lot of grand plans being put in place by automotive manufacturers, but not many of them seem to have considered the cobalt supply chain,” says Wood Mackenzie director of cross-commodity analytics, in London, Gavin Montgomery.

Few commodity markets are so dominated by one supplier, and that presents a problem for the world’s automakers.

Cobalt is a by-product of copper and nickel mining. Until recently, there were often surplus supplies, as it was used mostly to harden steel. But the metal’s ability to efficiently conduct electricity has made it essential for high-end rechargeable batteries. A typical power unit in an electric car contains about 15 kg of cobalt, though some varieties use less than 5 kg.

Over the next two decades, the global fleet of electric vehicles may reach 282-million, or about 16% of all cars on the road, BNEF analysts estimate.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 03, 2017-Ausgabe von Mining Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 03, 2017-Ausgabe von Mining Weekly.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS MINING WEEKLYAlle anzeigen
Supply Cliff?
Mining Weekly

Supply Cliff?

Commodities supply shortfall looming following years of underinvestment

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Mining Weekly 17 March 2017
Strikes Threaten Coal Sector
Mining Weekly

Strikes Threaten Coal Sector

If an agreement cannot be reached on the future structure and form of wage nego­tiations in the coal sector, unions have threatened to strike, says Solidarity mining industry deputy general secretary Connie Prinsloo.

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Mining Weekly 17 March 2017
Continued Focus On Downstream Development
Mining Weekly

Continued Focus On Downstream Development

Continued Focus On Downstream Development

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 08, 2017
Unrelenting Scourge
Mining Weekly

Unrelenting Scourge

Mining fatalities in South Africa rise for first time in decade

time-read
2 Minuten  |
December 15, 2017
Plea For Open Discussion
Mining Weekly

Plea For Open Discussion

Diamonds body calls for ‘productive dialogue’ on Kimberley Process reform

time-read
3 Minuten  |
December 15, 2017
Deep Potential
Mining Weekly

Deep Potential

Stillwater deal seen positioning Sibanye as globally competitive mining champion.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
January 20 - 26, 2017
Explosive Advantage
Mining Weekly

Explosive Advantage

Explosives reloading system helping Gold One to reduce mining costs.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
January 20 - 26, 2017
Critical Juncture
Mining Weekly

Critical Juncture

South Africa’s mining sector at a crossroads, collaborative effort required.

time-read
7 Minuten  |
January 20 - 26, 2017
Consulting Engineering's Viability Proportional to Mining's Growth
Mining Weekly

Consulting Engineering's Viability Proportional to Mining's Growth

The consulting engineer-ing industry’s sustain-ability and growth are largely dependent on and proportional to the mining industry’s sustainability and growth respectively, says industry body Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa).

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Mining Weekly 28 April 2017
Greater Emphasis On Ensuring Sustainability
Mining Weekly

Greater Emphasis On Ensuring Sustainability

Engineering expertise can be used to generate socio-economic gains for mining companies, particularly in jurisdictions that are dependent on the finite business of mineral extraction, states global engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Aurecon, an adviser to the African mining sector.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Mining Weekly 28 April 2017