At a glance
- Company
- Cobalt Blue
- Announcement
- Partnership
- Location
- Brisbane, Australia
People
- Andrew TongCobalt Blue Executive Manager
- Ed HusicFederal Industry and Science Minister
- Anika WellsMinister
Products and programs
Cobalt Blue visited the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Advanced Battery Facility in Brisbane during October 2023. QUT and Cobalt Blue are supporting the development of Australia’s battery making capabilities.
October 17, 2023 -- QUT and Cobalt Blue are implementing strategies that aim to enhance Australia’s capacity to produce batteries, which are becoming increasingly important for a wide range of applications, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy storage.
By working together, QUT and Cobalt Blue are contributing to Australia’s capacity to be at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field.
As part of this ongoing effort, Cobalt Blue's Executive Manager (Andrew Tong) visited the QUT Advanced Battery Facility in Banyo (Brisbane) during the second week of October 2023. The facility boasts a vertically integrated battery value chain, taking raw materials and proceeding through the battery production process - from precursor cathode active material (pCAM), to cathode active material (CAM), to anode, and through to cell assembly and testing.
The site tour was attended by Federal Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic, Minister Anika Wells, and a large array of QUT's industry collaborators from across the national battery sector.
Cobalt Blue's Mine to Market Projects will aid Australian battery material initiatives. It intends to form a crucial component in developing the country's battery material production capability and production of associated constituent materials. The Company plans to build Australia's first cobalt refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia, with offtake arrangements to be finalised during financing negotiations. The project is expected to be capable of delivering battery grade chemicals into an Australian production chain.
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Questions around this news
What processes are carried out at QUT’s Advanced Battery Facility?
The release describes the Banyo facility as covering a sequence of battery-making stages, starting with precursor cathode active material and cathode active material, then moving to anode production, cell assembly and testing. Cobalt Blue’s executive manager visited the site in October 2023, alongside government ministers and industry collaborators from across Australia’s battery sector.
What does a vertically integrated battery value chain mean?
A vertically integrated value chain brings multiple stages of production together within a coordinated operation or network. In battery manufacturing, this can mean connecting the processing of materials with the manufacture of battery components and the assembly and testing of cells, rather than treating each stage as entirely separate.
What is Cobalt Blue planning to build in Kwinana?
The release says Cobalt Blue plans to build a cobalt refinery in Kwinana, Western Australia. It describes the proposed refinery as part of the company’s Mine to Market Projects and says the project is expected to be capable of supplying battery-grade chemicals to an Australian production chain. Offtake arrangements are to be finalised during financing negotiations.
What are offtake arrangements in a project financing context?
Offtake arrangements are agreements for a buyer to purchase some or all of a project’s future output. They can provide clarity about intended sales and supply, and may be relevant to financing discussions. Their terms can vary, including the quantity, duration, pricing method and conditions for delivery.
