Glencore and General Motors sign Australian cobalt supply agreement

Glencore has announced that it has reached a multiyear agreement with General Motors in which Glencore’s Murrin Murrin operation in Western Australia will supply General Motors with cobalt. The cobalt processed from Murrin Murrin will be used in GM’s Ultium battery cathodes, which will power its international fleet of electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV and Cadillac LYRIQ.

Murrin Murrin is Australia’s largest producer of cobalt, a critical metal used in electric vehicles and a wide range of everyday applications such as medical tracing, renewable energy and jet engines. Last year Murrin Murrin employed over 1000 people, spent more than $500 million on goods and services from Australian suppliers, and contributed $52 million in taxes and royalties to federal and state governments.

Glencore is one of Australia’s largest producers of green metals such as cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc that are necessary to drive the global green energy transition. This is also a key part of Glencore’s ambition of achieving net zero total emissions by 2050.

Glencore also says it is committed to responsible supply chain management. Glencore and General Motors are members of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and Murrin Murrin is conformant with the OECD-aligned Responsible Minerals Assurance Process.

“We are very pleased to supply General Motors with cobalt from our Murrin Murrin operation in Australia,” said Wayne Ashworth, head of Glencore’s global nickel business. “Glencore will continue to play an important role in providing the green metals needed for the electric vehicle revolution and energy transition in the years ahead.”

Glencore is one of the world’s largest global diversified natural resource companies and a major producer. In Australia, Glencore produces coal, copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc, lead, silver and gold from 25 mining operations across Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Image: The Murrin Murrin nickel and cobalt facility. Source: minara.com.au.