Dona Ferentes
A little bit OC⚡DC
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as is written....
If equity markets showed as much enthusiasm for cobalt as Western governments have this year, Jervois Global chief executive Bryce Crocker would be a happier man.
Crocker’s ASX-listed battery minerals play has been at the centre of a taxpayer-funded bidding war since the United States offered $US15 million ($22.7 million) for the company to shift its cobalt refining growth plans from Finland to North America.
The Finnish government hit back in June, offering Jervois €12 million ($19.6 million) to return to its original growth strategy: the plan to double the size of the company’s existing refinery near the Finnish port of Kokkola.
The Finnish refinery is the only one of its kind outside China, producing close to 10 per cent of the battery-grade cobalt needed to power the world’s electric vehicle fleet.
Expanding an existing, revenue-generating asset like Kokkola is normally more attractive than building a greenfield project from scratch. But the sheer weight of money on offer from the US for critical minerals has tempted Jervois to favour the North American option, which could align with a plan to reopen a dormant cobalt mine in Idaho.
If equity markets showed as much enthusiasm for cobalt as Western governments have this year, Jervois Global chief executive Bryce Crocker would be a happier man.
Crocker’s ASX-listed battery minerals play has been at the centre of a taxpayer-funded bidding war since the United States offered $US15 million ($22.7 million) for the company to shift its cobalt refining growth plans from Finland to North America.
The Finnish government hit back in June, offering Jervois €12 million ($19.6 million) to return to its original growth strategy: the plan to double the size of the company’s existing refinery near the Finnish port of Kokkola.
The Finnish refinery is the only one of its kind outside China, producing close to 10 per cent of the battery-grade cobalt needed to power the world’s electric vehicle fleet.
Expanding an existing, revenue-generating asset like Kokkola is normally more attractive than building a greenfield project from scratch. But the sheer weight of money on offer from the US for critical minerals has tempted Jervois to favour the North American option, which could align with a plan to reopen a dormant cobalt mine in Idaho.