Glencore has signed a long-term partnership with Britishvolt, a British manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, to supply the latter with responsibly sourced cobalt. The Swiss-based commodity trading and mining company also made an undisclosed investment in the battery technology company.

According to Britishvolt, this investment is a further recognition of its planned £2.6 billion Gigaplant project in the UK. The cooperation with Glencore is said to be an important milestone for the British company seeking to help automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) develop electrification plans.

Britishvolt said that obtaining key battery components from the Glencore Cobalt brand will significantly reduce its operational risks by obtaining long-term supply security throughout its business. David Brocas, head of Glencore cobalt trader, said: “We are committed to supporting our partners to meet their requirements for basic battery components. This is the key to supporting long-term supply agreements. With the acceleration of mobility and energy transition, the future The demand for battery metals such as copper and nickel is also increasing."

Glencore is already a leading producer and supplier of these metals, helping to consolidate our ambition to achieve net zero total emissions by 2050. At the end of 2020, Britishvolt disclosed plans to build a battery super factory in Bryce, Northumberland. The Gigaplant project will be developed in three phases, each with a capacity of 10GWh.

The company expects to complete the 30GWh project before the end of 2027. It is expected that by the end of 2023, the super factory will realize the first production of lithium-ion batteries. After reaching full capacity, the super factory will produce enough batteries each year for approximately 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs, mainly for the automotive industry.

Britishvolt CEO/Founder Orral Nadjari said: "This is a big step for Britishvolt in the right direction because we want to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon society. By working with Glencore, we have locked in supply and reduced Project risk. The core of our business is our ESG principles and commitments. Cobalt is a key component of electric vehicle batteries. Knowing that we are supplying ethical low-carbon cobalt is a signal to the market that we are Values for a living."

Keywords: mining, international engineering news, foreign engineering project information

In another development, a subsidiary of Glencore signed an agreement with a subsidiary of Sumitomo to acquire the latter's 12.5% stake in the Ralston Coal Mine in Queensland, Australia. Glencore currently holds 75% of the coal mine, and another partner is ICRA Rolleston, which holds 12.5% of the shares.Editor/Baohongying