[SMM data] China's Cobalt Raw material Import data in March 2020

According to Talon Metals on September 15, the company’s Tamarack nickel-copper-cobalt project in Minnesota, U.S., has completed the 60-day public comment period as part of the state environmental review process. The project is currently under environmental review by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The regulator will next assess the submitted comments and continue advancing the permitting process. Tamarack is one of the more notable U.S. nickel-copper-cobalt sulphide projects under development by Talon Metals. The company said completion of the public comment period marks an important milestone in the environmental approval process and moves the project closer to subsequent permitting and development stages. Although the update did not include new cobalt resource figures, production capacity or a commissioning timeline, the permitting progress remains relevant as the U.S. continues to strengthen domestic critical mineral supply chains and could improve the prospects for future domestic nickel and cobalt production.

According to Reuters on September 15, the Democratic Republic of Congo has established a “DRC-USA Task Force” to accelerate implementation of its strategic minerals cooperation agreement with the United States and move the partnership from a policy framework toward concrete investments and project execution. As a major global supplier of copper and cobalt, the DRC will use the task force to coordinate progress in critical mineral investment, project development and supply-chain cooperation. DRC Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba said the mechanism is expected to improve the efficiency of implementation between the two sides. In recent years, the U.S. has strengthened cooperation with the DRC in copper, cobalt and other critical minerals through support for mining investment, expanded access to Western markets and regional logistics infrastructure. The creation of a dedicated implementation mechanism could further deepen U.S.-DRC minerals cooperation and potentially influence cobalt trade flows, the international buyer mix and Western capital participation in the DRC.

South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will launch regulatory exemption projects to recover critical minerals from semiconductor process waste, used batteries and end-of-life solar panels. The government plans to test technologies that recover silicon, copper, titanium and tungsten from semiconductor waste such as used silicon and targets, while reviewing regulatory changes to use such byproducts as circular resources rather than waste. Critical mineral recovery from used batteries and end-of-life solar panels will also be included in the demonstrations.