FEBRUARY 2025

Director General Dinah McLeod updates on a busy January for the Cobalt Institute, with appearances at key industry events and the publication of research and quarterly market reports.

Dear colleagues,

We’ve hit the ground running this year! Your Cobalt Institute team has been busy representing members at key industry events and publishing research to keep you up to date. Here are a few highlights:

• In January, I moderated a panel discussion “Cobalt: pricing, trends, and market projections” at the Future Minerals Forum (FMF) in Riyadh – one of the world's premier platforms for minerals. FMF stands at the forefront of global industry connections, bringing together governments, international organisations and stakeholders to collectively shape the future of minerals. The FMF is also an opportunity for Saudi Arabia to position itself as a crucial critical mineral player as the world strives to secure access to the energy transition metals.

• Cobalt Institute launched the “Responsible Secondary Cobalt” report examining the risks and opportunities around cobalt recycling. It also provides recommendations for industry and policymakers alike.

• We have just published the Q4 2024 cobalt market update, providing useful hints at the overall 2024 cobalt marker demand, supply, geopolitical and pricing trends. Overall, we expect 2025 to see continued subdued pricing coupled with strong increase in demand.

Looking forward, Cobalt Institute will be speaking at Mining Indaba on 3-6 February on strengthening global mineral supply through greater African industrialisation, as well as at the Mines and Money conference and ministerial forum on 20-21 February. And we will also be organising a webinar on deep sea mining on 25 February - a hot topic for our industry! 

And of course, all of us at Cobalt Institute are very excited about the 2025 Cobalt Congress in Singapore. This flagship event will bring together leaders from across the industry to explore the future of cobalt and its critical role in the global energy transition. You can take advantage of early bird rates by registering now. 

As ever, thank you for your continued support and collaboration – together we can shape the future of cobalt and help secure a cleaner, greener future.

Yours, 

Dinah

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Cobalt Congress 

14-15 May, Singapore

Join the world’s leading forum bringing together the entire cobalt and wider critical minerals value chain – as well as many of the world’s largest cobalt investors – to discuss the latest challenges and opportunities for the industry, both from business and political perspectives.  

Register now

RESOURCES

Developed by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, our Q4 2024 Market Report shows the latest trends and insights shaping the cobalt market. The report highlights cobalt’s growing role in the green energy transition, with EVs and portable electronics driving an 8% year-on-year rise in cobalt demand.

Mining cobalt from waste: Capturing lost value in a responsible cobalt value chain

In his latest blog, Tom Fairlie, Cobalt Institute’s Senior Sustainability Manager, explores how we can build truly circular and responsible cobalt value chains, ensuring cobalt is recovered efficiently while addressing key risks. These questions are also explored in our recently published report Responsible Secondary Cobalt.

More news and resources

EVENTS 

Mining Indaba

3-6 February, Cape Town

Cobalt Institute’s Director General Dinah McLeod will be speaking about “The symbiotic approach – strengthening global mineral supply through greater African industrialisation”, and Susannah McLaren, Head of Responsible Sourcing & Sustainability, will be joining a panel on “Sustainable debt or pending threat: How can Africa safeguard its mineral wealth whilst facing increasing infrastructure debt?”

Mines and Money

20-21 February, Miami

Our Head of Communications, Marina Demidova, will be speaking on the key issue of "Unlocking Government Support for Critical Minerals in the Americas", discussing what the Trump 2.0 presidency could mean for the cobalt industry. 

Cobalt and Deep Sea Mining: in-depth perspective

25 February, online

This webinar will centre around the latest policy developments in deep sea mining (DSM). As global demand for critical minerals grows, global regulatory frameworks within DSM are evolving rapidly. Industry experts and policymakers will discuss existing and developing regulations including required environmental and social impact assessments, and remaining steps towards future commercial production.

Giga Europe

18-19 March, Brussels

We’re proud to be supporting Giga Europe 2025, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's premier event uniting industry, government and finance to chart a course for Europe’s clean energy economy. Cobalt Institute's Head of Communications, Marina Demidova, will speak at the “Cathodes & cathode raw material developments: lithium, cobalt, nickel, phosphates, and manganese” session.

New Energy Industry Chain Expo - CLNB

16-18 April, Suzhou

A trade exhibition and event focusing on the latest developments in the new energy sector, including battery materials and mining, this event plays an important role in promoting international collaboration and sharing best practices to accelerate the global adoption of new energy technologies.

More events