As the world transitions to sustainable energy and a decarbonised future, the switch to EVs is creating massive demand for batteries and for cobalt, a critical mineral that is essential to battery chemistry.
In Far West New South Wales (Australia), the Broken Hill Cobalt Project is being developed to access a globally unique deposit of cobalt contained in a pyrite ore body. With the Project already well underway, this operation will become Australia’s first integrated cobalt mine and refinery, and one of the most competitive suppliers of ethical cobalt in the world.
The Broken Hill Cobalt Project has already proven that its patented refining process can extract cobalt from the pyrite ore. The battery-ready cobalt samples dispatched to top tier global battery and EV makers in 2022 achieved very positive feedback.
Being only 23kms from Broken Hill, the Project benefits from having a water allocation already granted, access to renewable energy sources, links to established road and rail transport, and a community with more than 100 years of mining under its belt. This local community will, in turn, benefit from the 400 jobs the Broken Hill Cobalt Project will create across its estimated 20 year mine-life.
Nationally, the project aligns to the Critical Minerals Strategy, has been granted Major Project Status, and recently received a $15 million funding boost from the Federal Government, which will assist in de-risking the Project.
When in full production, the Broken Hill Cobalt Project will be on a scale equivalent to a top 10 global cobalt mine, and top 5 outside of Africa. From Broken Hill we will produce enough ethical cobalt to power some 5 million EVs, which will contribute towards reducing transport-generated CO2 emissions and play an essential role in powering a sustainable world.