Following the temporary four-month suspension of cobalt exports from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) earlier this month, prices of nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathode materials have risen. How is the cobalt export ban impacting the cathode market? The rise in NCM cathode material costs is not wholly down to […]
> In the third quarter of 2025, 18 of the largest 25 copper miners reported quarter-on-quarter decreases in their output, including the top four miners. The total Q3 copper production reported by the top 25 miners hit 3.72Mt. “In the third quarter, many companies saw lower production compared to the previous quarter. However, most did not […]
> Chinese lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode material prices fell for the sixth straight month in September amid an ongoing weakness in lithium carbonate prices, a supply glut and an intensive competition among cathode producers. The average prices for the LFP cathode material prices declined 6.8% to RMB 34,000 ($4,795) per tonne in the assessment period […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, specialising in battery supply chain research and insights, reports that 12.7GWh of new operational capacity entered operation in October 2025. Operational Capacity The grid-scale BESS market saw 12.7GWh of new capacity enter operations globally in October 2025, a y-o-y increase of 29%. China led new operational capacity with just under 8.8GWh of […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence will now publish weekly market price assessments of its Benchmark EXW Europe cobalt metal price assessments beginning 16 July 2025. This evolution allows for the facilitation of more frequent cobalt metal price assessments within the parameters of Benchmark’s IOSCO compliant cobalt price methodology. Benchmark’s cobalt prices – every week Cobalt metal EXW […]
> Cobalt prices jumped 10%–20% on the first trading day after China’s Golden Week holiday last week, amid deepening concerns over stock availability following the implementation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) new export quotas. Market participants reported to Benchmark last week that cobalt sulphate was trading at RMB 65,000–75,000/t ($9,170–10,580/t), up from RMB 60,000–62,000/t before the break. […]
> Since January 2025, 108GWh of LFP production capacity has been announced in North America through to 2030, bringing the total to 281GWh. These announcements have been driven by the increasing importance of the BESS industry in the US, as tax credits for EVs have been phased out. How is future capacity changing? The new capacity […]
> Benchmark hosted its inaugural Giga Africa event in Marrakesh, Morocco in September, featuring delegates from across the battery supply chain. Over the many conversations and discussions held about Africa’s place in the global battery supply chain, several key themes emerged: Explore these topics in the words of Giga Africa’s expert speakers and panellists.
> US President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a landmark Critical Minerals Framework to bolster both nations’ access to rare earths and other critical minerals, in an effort to counter China’s dominance over strategically important supply chains. The framework indicates that the two governments will utilise a range of policy instruments to […]