Glencore’s Congo Unit to Start Shipping Some Cobalt Again

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Glencore Plc’s Democratic Republic of Congo unit will restart some cobalt exports after it halted sales last year due to low levels of radioactivity.

About 23 percent — or 930 tons — of the cobalt produced at Katanga Mining Ltd.’s Kamoto mine since January complies with regulations on uranium content, the company said in a statement. Katanga is controlled by Glencore and owns 75 percent of Kamoto.

The unit halted sales of cobalt in November after detecting radiation and said that a plant to remove the contamination would be ready this year. The suspension of sales came after prices for the metal used in rechargeable batteries collapsed on growing concerns about oversupply.

Glencore said at the time that it planned to stockpile cobalt supplies until the middle of this year. Kamoto is Glencore’s second-biggest source of the metal in Africa, producing about 11,100 tons last year.

Glencore has a long history of trimming mine supply to match demand, and has criticized rivals for producing too much and depressing prices. The Swiss commodity giant curtailed zinc output at mines in Australia, Peru and Kazakhstan in 2015 when prices languished at six-year lows.

Source: Bloomberg Business News