Glencore invests in UK's Britishvolt as part of long-term cobalt supply partnership
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Battery developer was given the green light to build its gigafactory in north-east England last month. Photo: Britishvolt
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Mining giant Glencore has made an undisclosed investment in Britishvolt, the company developing what is set to be the UK’s first lithium-ion battery cells gigafactory.
The partners said today the investment is part of a long-term partnership for the supply of responsibly-sourced cobalt and Glencore will also support Britishvolt when it comes to recycling and use of recycled battery materials.
Britishvolt was given the green light to build its £2.6bn gigafactory in Blyth, north-east England, last month.
CEO and founder Orral Nadjari said today: "This is a huge step in the right direction for Britishvolt as we look to accelerate the transition to a low carbon society. By partnering with Glencore, we are locking in supply and de-risking the project.”
"At the very heart of our business are our core environmental, social responsibility and governance principles and commitments. Cobalt is a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries and knowing that we are being supplied with responsibly-produced cobalt is a signal to the market that we are living by our values.”
Britishvolt’s project will be built in three phases, each of 10 GWh, to a total capacity of 30 GWh by the end of 2027 onwards. Once at full capacity, the facility will have a production capability equating to about enough cells for around 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs per year, intended primarily for the automotive industry.
World Battery News reported earlier this year that Glencore had joined other companies in a pilot project to track responsibly-produced cobalt from the mine to electric vehicles using blockchain technology.
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The partners said today the investment is part of a long-term partnership for the supply of responsibly-sourced cobalt and Glencore will also support Britishvolt when it comes to recycling and use of recycled battery materials.
Britishvolt was given the green light to build its £2.6bn gigafactory in Blyth, north-east England, last month.
CEO and founder Orral Nadjari said today: "This is a huge step in the right direction for Britishvolt as we look to accelerate the transition to a low carbon society. By partnering with Glencore, we are locking in supply and de-risking the project.”
'Market signal'
"At the very heart of our business are our core environmental, social responsibility and governance principles and commitments. Cobalt is a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries and knowing that we are being supplied with responsibly-produced cobalt is a signal to the market that we are living by our values.”
Britishvolt’s project will be built in three phases, each of 10 GWh, to a total capacity of 30 GWh by the end of 2027 onwards. Once at full capacity, the facility will have a production capability equating to about enough cells for around 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs per year, intended primarily for the automotive industry.
Glencore produces cobalt mainly as a by-product of copper mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo and also as a by-product of nickel mining in Australia and Canada.
World Battery News reported earlier this year that Glencore had joined other companies in a pilot project to track responsibly-produced cobalt from the mine to electric vehicles using blockchain technology.
Related articles in our archive: