Strategic Materials
Policy Tracker

Cobalt

钴Co

Records coded to Cobalt, from Final List of Critical Minerals 2018 (18 May 2018) to the latest event on 9 Oct 2026. Shared stage codes are not findings.

Record as of . Counts are records of one kind at a time and are never added together.

Events
16by event date
Control clauses
1status on 3 Nov 2026
Capital rows
3a count of rows, not of money1 of them is a part of a package
Designations
14standing, not money
Projects
15registry records1 with no designation
Programmes
3named by these rows
Organizations
17named by these rows
Sources
30cited by these records

Supply chain, stage by stage

Cobalt's row of the lattice: what the record places at each stage. Counts are records per stage, never money; a record coded to several stages is counted at each, so the stages have no total. The last column holds records that name Cobalt and record no stage, so the lattice cannot place them.

  • ExplorationNone recorded
  • Mining1 designationEU
  • SeparationNone recorded
  • Processing1 commitmentAU4 designationsEU
  • Refining1 commitmentAU
  • Component manufacturing1 clauseCN
  • Recycling1 commitmentCA7 designationsEU
  • Research and developmentNone recorded
  • Cross-cuttingNone recorded
  • No stage recorded2 designationsEU

Records by stage

Mining

Capital rows

None

Control clauses

None

Designationsstanding, not money

  • Hautalampi Cobalt-Nickel-Copper Mine Project

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: FinnCobalt Oy

    Names: Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: copper, not a tracked material

    Project record also names: copper, not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Finland

    Sponsors: FinnCobalt Oy

Processing

Capital rows

Control clauses

None

Designationsstanding, not money

  • CoNiKo - Cobalt and Nickel refining in Kokkola

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Umicore

    Names: Cobalt, Nickel

    Project registry

    Locations: Finland

    Sponsors: Umicore

  • GALLICAM

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 25 Mar 2025. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Sibanye-Stillwater Sandouville Refinery

    Names: Graphite, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: lithium (battery grade), manganese (battery grade), copper, not a tracked material

    Project record also names: lithium (battery grade), manganese (battery grade), copper, not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: France

    Sponsors: Sibanye-Stillwater Sandouville Refinery

  • NEOMAT-PCAM

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: NEOMAT PCAM

    Names: Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: France

    Sponsors: NEOMAT PCAM

  • OREON (Optimal REcycling Of Nickel)

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Umicore

    Names: Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: copper, platinum group metals, not a tracked material

    Project record also names: copper, platinum group metals, not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Belgium

    Sponsors: Umicore

Refining

Capital rows

Control clauses

None

Designationsstanding, not money

None

Component manufacturing

Capital rows

None

Control clauses

  • CNExport licensing, Items 1–2

    MOFCOM & GACC Announcement [2025] No. 58

    Suspended on 3 Nov 2026Suspended, status date 7 Nov 2025

    Covered items (goods, equipment, technology) belong here. That places the items, not a claim that the clause restricts this stage.

Designationsstanding, not money

None

Recycling

Capital rows

Control clauses

None

Designationsstanding, not money

  • Enabling CRM production in Europe by recovering CRM from end-of-life batteries: A scalable battery black mass refining process that extracts critical raw materials from all types of Li-ion batteries in an environmental friendly way.

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Back to Battery B.V.

    Names: Graphite, Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Netherlands

    Sponsors: Back to Battery B.V.

  • EU BEST STRAT: Battery Economical Sustainable (Recycling-) Technology

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: cylib Production I GmbH

    Names: Graphite, Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: bauxite/alumina/aluminium, copper, manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: bauxite/alumina/aluminium, copper, manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Germany

    Sponsors: cylib Production I GmbH

  • Project Fortum Hydromet

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 25 Mar 2025. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Fortum Battery Recycling Oy

    Names: Graphite, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: lithium (battery grade), copper, not a tracked material

    Project record also names: lithium (battery grade), copper, not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Finland

    Sponsors: Fortum Battery Recycling Oy

  • NorthCYCLE

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 25 Mar 2025. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Northvolt Revolt AB

    Names: Graphite, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: manganese (battery grade), lithium (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: manganese (battery grade), lithium (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Sweden

    Sponsors: Northvolt Revolt AB

  • Hydrometallurgy

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 25 Mar 2025. Standing, not money.

    Holder: ORANO Batteries

    Names: Graphite, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: lithium (battery grade), manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: lithium (battery grade), manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: France

    Sponsors: ORANO Batteries

Show all 7
  • Establishment of electric battery recycling capacity, Racari city, Dambovita county

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: ECO LIFE STYLE S.R.L.

    Names: Graphite, Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Romania

    Sponsors: ECO LIFE STYLE S.R.L.

  • REW-ITA green HUB: Recovery of Wolfram: Italian Technology Advanced green Hub

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: OMCD TEK HUB S.p.A.

    Names: Cobalt, Tungsten

    Also names: copper, not a tracked material

    Project record also names: copper, not a tracked material

    Project registry

    Locations: Italy

    Sponsors: OMCD TEK HUB S.p.A.

No stage recorded

These name Cobalt but record no stage, so the lattice cannot place them.

Designationsstanding, not money

  • EMME

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: ELECTRO MOBILITY MATERIALS EUROPE (EMME)

    Names: Cobalt, Nickel

    Records no stage.

    Project registry

    Locations: France

    Sponsors: ELECTRO MOBILITY MATERIALS EUROPE (EMME)

  • Pure Battery Technologies pCAM plant Europe

    Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (European Union). Recognized, status date 9 Oct 2026. Standing, not money.

    Holder: Pure Battery Technologies Limited

    Names: Cobalt, Nickel

    Also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Project record also names: manganese (battery grade), not a tracked material

    Records no stage.

    Project registry

    Locations: Germany

    Sponsors: Pure Battery Technologies Limited

None recorded at: Exploration, Separation, Research and development, Cross-cutting.

A designation is a government's recognition of a project under a named scheme. It records standing, not money, and covers only the stages and materials the designation names. A project is the registry record of the site or venture. Shared stage codes are not a finding.

Registry projects with no designation naming Cobalt

Not placed by stage: a project's own stage list is not a designation, and the lattice places only designations.

Capital and controls

Each capital row is shown at its own amount, in its own currency, exactly as the record states it. Nothing here adds up, splits or converts an amount, so a row that names several materials shows its whole amount and a part sits inside its package without being added again.

Capital rows (3 naming Cobalt; 2 shown at top level, 1 inside a package)

Public commitments (3)

Committed to a recipient by a government or public enterprise, at the status each row states. A contracted, partially disbursed or disbursed row is binding because an agreement is executed; payment is tracked separately by status. A contracted row need not mean funds are obligated or paid, and a partially disbursed row is not fully paid.

  • CANatural Resources Canada to Cyclic Materials Incorporated and Green Graphite Technologies Inc.

    Provider: Natural Resources CanadaRecipient: Cyclic Materials Incorporated, Green Graphite Technologies Inc.

    about CAD 8.4 million

    As stated: almost $8.4 million in investments

    Instrument not specified. Announced, status date 4 Sep 2024.

    Not yet binding.

    Scope: names 4 materials; the amount is not divided.

    • Part: Instrument not specified, CAD 4.893125 million; not added again

      CANatural Resources Canada to Cyclic Materials Incorporated

      Provider: Natural Resources CanadaRecipient: Cyclic Materials Incorporated

      CAD 4.893125 million

      As stated: Amount funded: $4,893,125

      Instrument not specified. Contracted, status date 17 Jul 2024.

      Binding: an agreement is executed; payment is tracked separately.

      Scope: names 3 materials; the amount is not divided.

  • AUAustralian Government to Constitutional corporations with registered CMPTI processing activities

    Provider: Australian GovernmentRecipient: Constitutional corporations with registered CMPTI processing activities

    No amount stated

    Tax credit. Authorized, status date 14 Feb 2025.

    Not yet binding. Authority as stated: Future Made in Australia (Production Tax Credits and Other Measures) Act 2025 (Act No. 9 of 2025), Schedule 2, inserting Division 419 into the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.

    Scope: names 13 materials; the amount is not divided.

Control clauses (1, status on 3 Nov 2026)

Explore capital rows naming Cobalt and control clauses naming Cobalt: all rows naming Cobalt, parts and options listed separately.

Timeline

One dot for each event, placed at its event date as coded. Capital-row and clause status dates are not plotted: a status with no date has no honest position, and an event date is never used in its place.

Event date (as coded)Gold rule: as of 3 Nov 2026

Dates stated after the as-of: 10 Nov 2026 (control clause ctl-cn-58-2025-battery-cathode-licensing).

Newest events

Events (16)

Policy status across actors

Where each actor's coded measures on this material currently stand.

CNChinaActiveSuspended
USUnited StatesIn forceSuperseded
EUEuropean UnionUnclearIn force
AUAustraliaIn force
CACanadaActiveIn force
GBUnited KingdomSuperseded
EU

Commission Decision recognising 46 critical raw material projects in the EU as Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act

Unclear
Supply-chain security measure

Records under this event: 10 designations.

US

Adjusting Imports of Processed Critical Minerals and Their Derivative Products Into The United States

In force
Trade action
CN

MOFCOM & GACC Announcement No. 70 of 2025: decision suspending Announcements Nos. 55, 56, 57, 58, 61 and 62 of 2025 (to 10 November 2026)

Active
Export controlTrade action
US

Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals

In force
Critical-mineral designation
CN

MOFCOM & GACC Announcement No. 58 of 2025: decision to implement export controls on lithium battery and artificial graphite anode material items

Suspended
Export controlDual-use license

Records under this event: 1 control clause.

US

Ensuring National Security and Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions on Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products

In force
Trade actionSupply-chain security measure
EU

Commission Decision recognising 47 critical raw material projects in the EU as Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act

In force
Supply-chain security measure

Records under this event: 4 designations.

US

Immediate Measures To Increase American Mineral Production

In force
Funding or subsidySupply-chain security measure
AU

Future Made in Australia (Production Tax Credits and Other Measures) Act 2025

In force
Funding or subsidy

Records under this event: 1 capital row.

CA

Government of Canada Supporting Critical Minerals Processing in Kingston

Active
Funding or subsidy

Records under this event: 2 capital rows.

EU

Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (Critical Raw Materials Act)

In force
Supply-chain security measureCritical-mineral designationFunding or subsidy
CA

The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy

In force
Funding or subsidyCritical-mineral designation
GB

Resilience for the Future: The United Kingdom's Critical Minerals Strategy

Superseded
Critical-mineral designationSupply-chain security measure

Superseded by Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy.

US

2022 Final List of Critical Minerals

Superseded
Critical-mineral designation

Superseded by Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals.

US

Addressing the Threat to the Domestic Supply Chain From Reliance on Critical Minerals From Foreign Adversaries and Supporting the Domestic Mining and Processing Industries

In force
Supply-chain security measureCritical-mineral designation
US

Final List of Critical Minerals 2018

Superseded
Critical-mineral designation

Superseded by 2022 Final List of Critical Minerals.

Editorial notes (not coded records)

Written summaries kept from the earlier page, not coded records. A summary appears only if it passed review against the records above; the downstream-use list is exempt from that review and has not been checked against a source.

Typical downstream uses

  • Lithium-ion battery cathodes
  • Aerospace superalloys
  • Defense systems
  • Industrial catalysts