Cobalt, Ont. refinery aims to produce battery-grade cobalt by 2027

A former metals refinery near Cobalt, Ont., is being converted into what its owner says will be North America’s first batterygrade cobalt refinery. Electra Battery Materials says the facility could begin full operations by late 2027 and produce about 6,500 tonnes of cobalt sulfate a year, enough for roughly one million electric vehicle batteries. The project is part of a wider effort to build out Canada’s critical minerals supply chain. The company says the plant will refine imported cobalt into a highpurity material used in lithiumion batteries for electric vehicles, electronics and defence applications. The refinery’s feedstock is expected to come mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with shipments routed through South Africa and Montreal before arriving in northern Ontario. Company executives say the project includes audits and oversight to address longstanding concerns about labour and environmental conditions in cobalt mining. The facility has received funding from Canadian governments, and the company says it has also attracted interest from the United States. Supporters argue the refinery could reduce reliance on China, which currently dominates much of the batterygrade cobalt processing market.