PRESS
CBLT Inc: You can make more money with a pen than a drill
MotherlodeTV - www.motherlodetv.net - Oct 5, 2020
There is no single right way to organize and operate a junior resource company. Instead, each company needs to figure out its own path to maximizing shareholder value. Whether it is a greenfields exploration story or a brownfields mining restart, every project is different. Peter Clausi, CEO of CBLT Inc. (V.CBLT), spent the early part of his career as a commercial litigation lawyer on Bay Street. He’s seen most of the business models.
Tesla's Battery Tweaks Won't Solve World's Cobalt Conundrum
Bloomberg - www.miningweekly.com - May 5, 2018
Tesla's swindling reliance on cobalt was one of the topics that Musk did want to discuss in an otherwise awkward earnings call with analysts on Thursday. The firm has slashed the highly expensive metal in its batteries and wants to go further. Musk's crunch quote for enthusiasts: "We think we can get the cobalt to almost nothing."
See Peter Clausi, CEo of CBLT Inc. in Oreninc's "CEO Elevator Pitch" at the PDAC 2018 convention
www.oreninc.com - April 02, 2018
Apple in talks with miners to secure cobalt supplies: Sources
Pratima Desai - finance.yahoo.com - February 21, 2018
LONDON (Reuters) - Apple Inc is talking to major cobalt producers to secure supplies of the material vital for the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power its mobile phones, three cobalt industry sources said.
LME to police metal supply following child labour cobalt outcry
Staff Writer - www.miningmx.com - February 13, 2018
The London Metal Exchange (LME) could remove companies from its list of approved metal suppliers if they fall short of industry standards following an outcry about cobalt mined by children in Africa, said Reuters citing three sources.
Bidders For $500m Canada Streaming Deal As Cobalt Price surges - Report
Frik Els - www.mining.com - January 30, 2018
Cobalt prices have been one of the main beneficiaries of the scramble for battery materials by auto manufacturers. The metal quoted on the LME recently topped $80,000 a tonne, a gain of 140% since the beginning of last year. Measured from its record low hit in February 2016, the metal is more than $50,000 more expensive.
Stockhouse - January 22, 2018
Cobalt Prices Seen Rising Sharply As Deficit Balloons: BMO
Anthony Poole - www.platts.com - December 04, 2017
Cobalt prices are likely to rise significantly in the next two years as the industry struggles to meet rising demand from batteries used in electric vehicles, BMO Capital Markets said Monday. It sees the annual average cobalt price peaking at $40.50/lb ($89,290 mt) in 2019, from current levels of about $30/lb and does not rule out the possibility of cobalt prices doubling from current levels in the timeframe. So far this year, 99.6% broken cathode cobalt -- the grade often used in chemicals and batteries -- has averaged $25.58/lb, according to Platts assessments, having started the year at a midpoint of $14.75/lb.
The Cobalt Supply Chain Takes Another Hit
Bloomberg - www.miningweekly.com - November 27, 2017
Kinshasa - An attempt by Congo's Gecamines to profit from the boom in battery metals has backfired, leaving the state-owned miner facing two international court actions and halting cobalt production at a key mine. Gecamines blocked its 16-year partner GTL's access to the cobalt site in the southeastern Congolese town of Lubumbashi in March to make way for a new investor, as prices for the metal soared. The attempt to switch one partner for the other has resulted in both parties taking legal action against the state-owned company for breach of contract.
Mike Beck: Cobalt - The Most Supply Constrained Commodity on Earth, By Far
Collin Kettel - www.palisaderadio.com - November 26, 2017
Mike discusses the cobalt market which is part of four critical metals used in batteries and why it is of particular interest. Total world mine supply is around 100,000 tons which are currently split evenly between batteries and alloys. Furthermore, 65% of current supply comes from the Congo a country that can be politically unstable. Secondly, 99% of cobalt production comes as a by-product of mining copper and nickel. The average copper and nickel mines total production will only result in 5% to 10% cobalt. If the price of cobalt rises, it does not necessarily incentivize new supply.
www.benchmarkminerals.com - November 20, 2017
Battery recycling is one of the industry's biggest success stories. Lead acid has led the way in collection methods with over 99% of all batteries produced being recycled. Despite being in our phones and laptops for 25 years, lithium ion is yet to find a favoured recycling method, chemistry or collection system to follow in lead acid's footsteps. With EV production surging, the race is on to find a common way to recycle these as Hans Eric Melin explores.
Cobalt Demand Set to Surge as Automakers Call for EV Battery Production in Europe
Priscila Barrera - investingnews.com - September 13, 2017
At this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover all promised that their fleets will offer electric options for every model by no later than 2025. Additionally, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen said they expect more than 25 percent of their sales to come from battery-powered vehicles by the middle of the next decade.
Water woes may leave green-car hopes high and dry
Antony Currie - Reuters News/Zawya.com - August 31, 2017
Water problems could leave the burgeoning market for green cars high and dry. Ford is the latest to ramp up its electrification efforts with a planned joint venture with China’s Anhui. Trouble is, the industry relies heavily on the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt to make electric vehicles’ lithium-ion batteries.
Cobalt Surges 150% as Tesla and Tech Giants Fight for Supply
PRNewswire/OilPrice.com News Commentary - May 30, 2017
This super-metal is the hottest commodity on the market right now-and it's NOT lithium. Instead... It's a metal that early investors are eyeing as a massive opportunity. Supply is already in deficit - and that's before the anticipated 500 percent increase in demand. It's a metal that is critical to the future stock price of everything from General Electric (NYSE: GE), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), UPS (NYSE: UPS) and many more. Welcome to the supply crisis that is all about Cobalt
If you thought lithium was exciting, try the super-hot metal story of 2017
Andy Home - The Globe and Mail - April 10, 2017
Lithium was the super-hot metals story of 2016. A spectacular price rally propelled lithium out of the metallic shadows onto the global investment stage. This year it is the turn of cobalt. The price of cobalt traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME) has exploded from $33,000 per ton to $55,000 since the start of January. This time last year, the price was bombed out at multi-year lows below $25,000 per ton. As with lithium, cobalt’s story is all about batteries and the green technology revolution. The lithium-cobalt battery is already standard in many electronic applications and both metals are expected to see usage accelerate thanks to the rapidly evolving electric vehicle and grid storage sectors.
The rush for cobalt in Cobalt, Ont: Mining companies snap up land in the north
Marina von Stackelberg - CBC News - Mar 25, 2017
There's an old school gold rush underway in northern Ontario, but the demand is for a special metal that is used in everything from smart phones to electric cars. More than a dozen mining companies are staking out claims in Cobalt, Ont. as price of the mineral with the same name rises, according to the Northern Prospectors Association.
Peter Whoriskey and Todd C. Frankel - The Washington Post - Dec 20, 2016
Separate groups of the world’s leading technology companies are launching two initiatives to curb “the worst forms of child labor” and other abusive practices in the supply chain for cobalt, a key ingredient in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric cars.
Michael Schuss - Investing News - Dec 8, 2016
Cobalt has recently come to the forefront of the materials used to make lithium batteries. While the lithium and graphite stories are well known, those materials are, in comparison to cobalt, plentiful and easy to process. There are no pure cobalt mines, only copper and nickel mines relatively enriched in cobalt to make it viable to recover it as a by-product. The large nickel copper complexes such as Sudbury, Norilsk and the copper–cobalt deposits in Central Africa really are dependent on buoyant prices for copper and nickel to determine how much cobalt will be produced in the end. The cobalt produced is also the net result of a complex smelting and refining process to produce sellable copper and nickel. These huge complexes require a large and long life copper/nickel deposit to support its large capex and long amortization period.
Tesla's Evolving Cobalt Nightmare
John Petersen - Seeking Alpha - Nov 30, 2016
Over the last 10 years, we've been deluged with news stories and investment analyses extolling the virtues of electric vehicles, or EVs, powered by high energy lithium-ion batteries. The stories pontificate on theoretical environmental benefits and speculate on how EVs could forever change the world's energy landscape. While the occasional realist questions the availability of enough lithium to satisfy soaring battery industry demand, everybody overlooks or ignores the more critical mineral constraint - cobalt. It's a gargantuan challenge. A veritable Gigarisk!
VITAL METALS TO SUSTAIN AN URBANIZING PLANET (PDF)
Robert Friedland - Clean Teq - Nov 28, 2016
In 2007, the people on earth crossed a historic divide. There was no Big Bang in the middle of the night. But, say UN number crunchers, 1007 is when we first had more people around the planet living in urban areas than in rural areas. Get used to it. Our world is gaining about 83 million people every year. By 2030, Earth will have a projected 8.5 billion people. About 5 billion are expected to live in urban areas.
Cobalt Is Keeping Battery Makers Awake At Night
Sebastien Gandon - seekingalpha.com - Nov 18, 2016
A new era. The next decade is poised to see a major revolution in energy storage and transportation. As often the case with major technological disruptions, a new supply chain is emerging and the development of reliable sources of raw material become critical. Electric Vehicles (EVs) in particular need batteries to maintain power and downstream players are just starting to fully appreciate the supply chain for critical rare minerals. Lithium received much of the media attention in recent years, but Cobalt is the one keeping battery makers awake at night.
Stockhouse Editorial - Nov 4, 2016
Humans have been producing the major metals for thousands of years. Gold, copper, silver, iron ... the big hitters. The “minor metals” are those that have relatively small global production, and are primarily a by-product of a base metal. No one would be surprised to hear that tellurim, for example, is a minor metal. A by-product of gold, lead or copper mining, global production of tellurim is a miniscule 220 tonnes a year.
AcTivists attack cobalt supply
Cecilia Jamasmie - mining.com - Oct 28, 2016
Activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo are pressing the government to revive plans for a new mining code, claiming the country, which is Africa’s top copper producer and the world’s largest source of cobalt, needs the higher revenues a revised legislation would generate. Congo began reviewing the 2002 mining code in 2012 and last year it proposed hiking profit taxes to 35% from 30%, raising the state’s free share of new mining projects to 10% from 5% and royalties on copper and cobalt revenue to 3.5% from 2%.
The Cobalt Supply Crunch Is Coming
Palisade Research - Oct 20, 2016
Cobalt is already in a deficit. Looking at the state of current cobalt production, there is not enough supply to satiate the coming green revolution. There are no large scales copper or nickel projects with cobalt by-products poised to break ground in the near future, it will be up to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to shoulder the burden of the supply load moving forward. There is nowhere for cobalt to go but up.
Germany calls for a ban on combustion engine cars by 2030
Jon Fingas, engadget - Oct 8, 2016
Germany isn't content with relying on financial incentives to usher in an era of pollution-free cars. The country's Bundesrat (federal council) has passed a resolution calling for a ban on new internal combustion engine cars by 2030. From then on, you'd have to buy a zero-emissions vehicle, whether it's electric or running on a hydrogen fuel cell. This isn't legally binding, but the Bundesrat is asking the European Commission to implement the ban across the European Union... and when German regulations tend to shape EU policy, there's a chance that might happen.
Talking Mines and Money With Rick Rule and Frank Holmes
Jeff Nielson, Stockhouse - Sept 26, 2016
The UK-based Mines and Money show is now in its 13th year of operation. For the first time; the show is coming to North America, specifically Toronto. For a lot of Canadian mining companies, the timing couldn’t be better. The event bills itself as the place “where mining deals get done.” With the mining sector coming back to life after five very tough years, there is a lot of pent-up energy among companies in this sector to move forward on projects and/or reorganize their balance sheets.
Jon Hykawy on the Cobalt Shortage
Greg Klein - Sept 16, 2016
Making its Western Hemisphere debut in Toronto from September 26 to 28, Mines and Money kicks off with a full day dedicated to battery metals. That would seem to cast a resoundingly positive vote in lithium’s boom-or-bubble debate. But while conference speaker Jon Hykawy sees an enduring case for the celebrated commodity, he counsels investors to tread carefully.
Why Lithium Isn’t the Big Worry for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Jason Deign Greentech Media - June 23, 2015
Lithium-ion battery production is more likely to be constrained by cobalt or nickel supplies than by lithium availability, experts believe. Li-ion battery makers use both metals in greater quantities than lithium, which has been the subject of significant supply concerns as battery production ramps up. In fact, none of these minerals are worryingly scarce in nature.
What's in your smartphone? Watch out for the next ‘conflict minerals'
Katy Marnato CNBC - August 29, 2016
Leonardo DiCaprio's 2006 movie "Blood Diamond" shed light on the sometimes dubious origins of luxury goods. The movie highlighted increasing concern about human rights violations in the supply chain and the diamond industry has been put under pressure to eliminate minerals of unknown or dubious sources. Now, attention is shifting to metals and other commodities that are mined using child or slave labor, or in dangerous conditions.
COBALT PRICE GAINS BEGIN, H2 SURGE LIKELY
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence - August 24, 2016
Tightening supply and growing demand has finally sparked the beginning of a recovery in cobalt prices which is likely to escalate throughout H2 2016. Increases of between $0.5-$1.5/lb have been reported across the market, led by price hikes in China at the start of the August as suppliers scaled down their efforts to destock.
LEARN MORE ABOUT COBALT INVESTING & PROPERTIES
Investing News
Take a moment to read through these articles to gain a better understanding of the current and ongoing state of the cobalt industry.
Global Shortage of Cobalt (PDF - page 52)
Resource World - August/September 2016
Energy-related metals, specifically lithium, have been attracting market attention in recent months as the lithium-ion battery market expands due to developments in the electric vehicle and stationary storage markets. The specialty metal cobalt is also critical for the production of lithium-ion batteries.
Mark Burton - August 01, 2016
Metal Bulletin’s low-grade cobalt prices rallied by as much as 5.5% in the week ended July 29 as unseasonably strong consumer enquiries and news that Ambatovy will miss production targets encouraged sellers to target higher prices.
COBALT SUPPLY TIGHTENS AS BATTERY DEMAND LOOMS
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence - July 14, 2016
Political tensions amidst the wider slump in global commodity markets, look set to continue the onslaught on cobalt production in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) moving into H2 2016. Cobalt production in the DRC, home to over 60% of the world’s mined output, is estimated to have fallen by over 20% in Q1 2016 in reaction to falling copper prices.
Trouble Looming for Congo Miners
Jocelyn Aspa - July 7, 2016
Things aren’t looking good in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s mining industry. In June, the country’s chamber of mines announced the loss of 3,000 direct and at least 10,000 subcontractor jobs. A mining conference in Lubumashi had government officials and mining CEOs rally together to figure out how to save a failed copper mine. So, what exactly is going on in the Congo? Last September, Glencore‘s (LSE:GLEN) Katanga copper mine, which is one of the Congo’s biggest, announced an 18-month suspension. It hasn’t even been a year yet, and analysts are already expecting an extension, according to Reuters.
ALPHANORTH FUND REVIEW - GREEN SWAN CAPITAL (PDF)
AlphaNorth - June 30, 2016
Power Up! Dundee's Lithium and Electric Metals Conference Lithium, Graphite, Cobalt and LeaD (PDF)
Dundee Capital Markets - June 28, 2016
Lithium, graphite, cobalt and lead are key components required for the emerging battery boom. Battery grade raw material supply lags demand and prices have started to rise in response, as demonstrated by the recent 47% surge in lithium prices over the last year. This supply/demand imbalance is set to intensify with construction of up to 12 new mega-factories which is forecasted to triple battery manufacturing capacity by 2020. As the supply shortage for raw materials persists, competition between manufacturers to secure supply should intensity. With little new lithium, graphite, cobalt and lead production on the horizon, emerging and near-term developers are well-positioned to benefit.
Battery-conscious hedge funds buy cobalt metal, look for more
Metalbulletin - June 27, 2016
Hedge funds and other private investors have bought cobalt metal in anticipation of higher prices as a result of expected stronger demand for batteries for electric vehicles, which contain cobalt, physical traders told Metal Bulletin this week.
Petersen critiques Tesla’s cobalt, lithium and graphite disclosure for EV batteries
InvestorIntel - May 20, 2016
It’s been a fascinating week as one of my readers forwarded copies of a May 12 Commodities Comment from Macquarie Wealth Management that focused on China’s recent efforts to shore up its cobalt supply chains and a May 16 report from Morgan Stanley that focused on expected growth in global demand for lithium, graphite, cobalt, and copper from the electric vehicle (EV) and lithium-ion battery sectors.
China aggressively acquiring gold, copper and cobalt assets
InvestorIntel - May 16, 2016
China Molybdenum (CMOC) has long earned its reputation as a highly acquisitive company. In 2015, it made its intentions known that it would pump around $2bn into acquiring mining assets outside of China. Traditionally a molybdenum and tungsten producer, CMOC has targeted copper in recent years, paying $820m for Rio Tinto’s Northparkes copper mine in New South Wales in 2013 and bidding for Barrick’s Zadivar mine in 2015.
Farquharson confirms coming cobalt deficit, outlines Formation’s mine timeline
InvestorIntel - May 5, 2016
Formation Metals Inc. (TSX: FCO | OTCQX: FMETF | FWB: FOQ) ) is a Canadian mineral exploration and mine development company that through its wholly owned subsidiaries has interests in base and precious metals and uranium projects in Canada, United States and Mexico. The company’s primary asset, located in the mining friendly state of Idaho, is the 100% owned, fully-permitted Idaho Cobalt Project which is comprised of the mine and mill near Salmon, Idaho, and the proposed Cobalt Production Facility for refining mine concentrate. The mine site is now prepared to commence underground development contingent on successful conclusion of mine financing.
John Petersen on the cobalt crisis — and what is wrong with EVs and battery technology
InvestorIntel - April 27, 2016
Lithium-ion battery and battery storage expert John Petersen this year created something of a sensation on InvestorIntel by putting his finger on a critical problem: there is not enough cobalt available to meet the demand from the growing lithium-ion battery industry. The key point is that just 6% of cobalt comes from primary production, the rest coming as a by-product of nickel and copper mining. If those latter mines are mothballed due to low prices, consequently that cobalt by-product disappears. “Without cobalt they can’t make their batteries,” he says.
Cheap Lithium-ion Batteries for EVs vs. The Cobalt Cliff
InvestorIntel - April 15, 2016
Since early March I’ve written five articles that focus on supply and demand dynamics in the cobalt mining sector and explain why I believe the lithium-ion battery industry is facing a raw materials shortage of epic proportions. Today I’ll drill down into market dynamics within the lithium-ion battery industry and explain why I believe cheap lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) will be the first casualties of the Cobalt Cliff.