- Demand
for cobalt in vehicle battery materials expected to grow more than 40
percent in 2018
- Prices
for cobalt metal hit their highest levels in 10 years in the first half of
2018, reaching over $90,000 per ton on the London Metal Exchange
- First
Cobalt acquired 100 percent ownership of promising Idaho Iron Creek
property, brought in additional drilling rigs
- Results
expected soon from preliminary metallurgical work and maiden resource
estimate from broad zones of cobalt-copper mineralization at Iron Creek
Project
A tightening market and projected shortages of cobalt – a
key battery metal used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles,
electronics and defense systems – is generating concern around the world,
industry analysts report. Cobalt prices have tripled over the past two years,
posing a threat to how quickly the electric vehicle market can grow in the near
future, as noted in an article published by Bloomberg (http://ibn.fm/X90oc). Additionally,
concerns over the methods being used by the politically unstable Democratic
Republic of the Congo, where 60 percent of the world’s cobalt is produced,
remain a factor for many of the world’s largest consumers of cobalt.
Vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company First Cobalt
Corp. (TSX.V: FCC) (OTCQX: FTSSF) (ASX: FCC) has consciously and
strategically placed its efforts into its North American assets such as the
Iron Creek Project in Idaho and the Greater Cobalt Project in the Canadian Cobalt
Camp, which holds more than 50 past producing mines. The company also owns the
only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery
materials. First Cobalt recently announced that it has acquired 100 percent
ownership of the Iron Creek property, where a maiden mineral resource estimate
is anticipated any day.
First Cobalt president and CEO Trent Mell notes that a
$9 million investment into Iron Creek has allowed the company to accelerate its
drilling program there. In fact, First Cobalt is fully funded to complete its
work programs in the U.S. and in Canada beyond the end of this year and into
2019, a company news release states (http://ibn.fm/tSPfb). Iron Creek’s promising potential
includes results from recent drilling that indicate two broad zones of
cobalt-copper mineralization that extend well beyond the limits of the historic
resource.
With demand across most major end-use applications set to
increase and the battery sector alone expected to enjoy double-digit growth
over the coming decade, the market is gearing itself up for a sustained period
of unprecedented consumption growth, according to metals and minerals research
firm Roskill (http://ibn.fm/fJJwN).
Some companies, such as Apple, BMW and Volkswagen, are reportedly negotiating
to secure cobalt supplies directly from producers in an effort to safeguard
their own supplies for future use, as detailed by CNBC (http://ibn.fm/mixih).
First Cobalt is actively working to create a North American
solution to many of the problems facing cobalt consumers now and in the future.
The company’s strategy of exploring, developing and refining material in North
America for sale back into the American battery market is well underway. As
such, First Cobalt is strategically positioned to be at the forefront of the
cobalt-driven battery movement in the coming years.
For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/FTSSF
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Editor@QualityStocks.com
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