umicore

Umicore secures latest deals to ensure access to battery materials market

Belgium multinational Umicore’s path to securing a raw and recycled lithium-ion battery materials supply chain saw two deals struck in as many weeks.

In a long line of deals in the past year, Umicore confirmed on 2 December it had completed the acquisition of the cobalt refining and cathode precursor activities in Kokkola, Finland.

Belgium

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Lithium-ion

battery materials

Umicore sign deal to supply 80,000 tonnes of lithium-ion cathode materials to Samsung

Battery materials firm Umicore will begin supplying Samsung SDI with around 80,000 metric tonnes of NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) lithium-ion cathode materials next year after signing a multi-year strategic agreement.

The majority of the cathode materials will initially be produced in Korea, with additional volumes supplied from Umicore plants in different regions.

battery materials

umicore

samsung sdi

NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt)

Lithium-ion

cathode materials

Umicore signs deal to supply 125,000mt of lithium-ion cathode materials to LG Chem

Umicore will begin delivering cathode materials for nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) lithium-ion batteries to LG Chem next year after signing a multi-year strategic supply agreement.

The agreement is for a total volume of 125,000 metric tonnes to be delivered over ‘several years’ out of Umicore plants in Poland, Korea and China.

umicore

cathode materials

nickel manganese cobalt (NMC)

Lithium-ion

batteries

LG Chem

Umicore tightens cobalt supply grip with Glencore deal

Swiss mining company Glencore has signed a deal to supply cobalt hydroxide for Umicore’s battery materials operations.

The long-term revolving agreement comes just days after Umicore announced it was expanding with its planned acquisition of Freeport Cobalt’s cobalt refining and cathode precursor activities in Finland.

Glencore

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cobalt

Democratic Republic of Congo

Umicore expands battery materials business with cobalt deal

Belgium’s Umicore is to acquire Freeport Cobalt’s cobalt refining and cathode precursor activities in Finland as an “important step” toward expanding the company’s battery materials business.

The deal, which is expected to be finalised by the end of 2019, is for a total consideration of US$150 million on a debt and cash free basis, plus the value of the working capital to be taken over at closing, which at the end of March was approximately $40m.

VW and Northvolt in driving seat for new battery research group

Volkswagen has formed a European batteries research consortium with Swedish lithium-ion start-up Northvolt.

The German carmaker said the newly-formed European Battery Union (EBU) would work with research and industry partners in seven European Union member states to cover “the entire battery value stream – from raw materials through cell technology to recycling”.

European Battery Union

bmw

umicore

battery cells

Audi and Umicore open up on closed loop

German car manufacturer Audi and Belgium-based material tech giant Umicore have announced the successful completion of phase one testing for closed loop EV battery recycling, reporting that “95% of valuable battery materials can be recycled”.

The cooperation— which began in June 2018— is looking to establish closed loop recycling for lithium-ion batteries, as companies wake up to the challenges of producing lithium-ion batteries without effective recycling processes in place.

Audi

umicore

battery recycling

Lithium-ion recycling

(EV) batteries. BMW

BMW, Northvolt and Umicore join forces for cells recycling

The BMW Group has formed a joint technology consortium with Swedish lithium-ion start-up Northvolt and Belgium-based materials tech giant Umicore, to develop a “complete and sustainable value chain for battery cells for EVs in Europe”.

This announcement comes just weeks after BMW placed a “billion euro” order for EV batteries from China, saying that they “can’t wait” for Europe to build a battery cells industry.

The consortium’s main aim is to establish a closed life cycle loop for batteries to make battery cells sustainable. The partners said this would be achieved by creating a recyclable cell design and manufacturing process that uses mostly renewable energy.

Umicore selects Poland for cathode material plant

Belgium-based materials technology giant Umicore is to build a cathode materials production plant in Poland.

Umicore said it would invest EUR660 million ($781m) in launching the first phase of the plant at Nysa, in the southwest of the country, which is expected to start up in late 2020.

umicore

cathode materials

Poland

Umicore eyes expansion after shares sale

Belgium’s Umicore has raised nearly EUR900 million ($1.1 billion) in a shares sale to fund potential future acquisitions and boost investments in cathode materials.

The Brussels-based global materials technology and recycling firm sold 10% of its shares in a block trade on 8 February.