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Germany plans battery passport in sustainability push

  • Spanish Market: Metals
  • 25/04/22

A consortium of carmakers, battery manufacturers and other supply chain stakeholders funded by the German government plans to develop a battery passport to track the carbon footprint and lifecycle of batteries made or deployed in the EU.

The consortium — which includes companies such as BMW and VW, as well as battery chemical companies Umicore and BASF — will be part of a three-year pilot project to develop the technical standards needed for the battery passport scheme. UK-based supply chain traceability company Circulor will implement the project's digital passport technology.

The project will draw up a battery passport scheme in line with the EU's new battery regulation expected to come into law later this year, which will require battery passports for all batteries used in the EU by 2026.

A battery passport would provide digital data on the carbon footprint of the battery, its lifecycle including any repairs, and its origins such as the working conditions of people involved in the mining of raw materials and recycled material content, the German economic affairs and climate action ministry said. It is hoped the data will give consumers greater clarity about the origins and impact of the batteries they are purchasing, and keeping track of important information for battery recyclers.

The European Commission previously proposed that battery and car manufacturers be required to announce the amount of recycled material in any batteries made from 1 January 2027 onwards. The proposals also said that from 1 January 2030, these batteries must contain a minimum 12pc of recycled cobalt, 85pc lead, 4pc lithium and 4pc nickel. By 2035 this would increase to 20pc cobalt, 10pc lithium and 12pc nickel.

"Electric vehicle OEMs and supply chain participants can track the physical flow of critical materials from extraction to final production, as well as associated ESG characteristics," Circulor said today.


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17/03/25

DRC’s cobalt ban lifts cobalt, nickel product prices

DRC’s cobalt ban lifts cobalt, nickel product prices

Singapore, 17 March (Argus) — The suspension of cobalt exports by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has bolstered the cobalt market, as well as pushed up prices of nickel products. The DRC suspended cobalt exports for four months effective from 22 February, although cobalt production is likely to remain at normal levels. The news sparked concerns in the market because the DRC is the world's largest cobalt producer, accounting for 75pc of total cobalt output. Market sentiment shored up, with prices of several cobalt and non-cobalt products surging to annual highs. Argus -assessed Chinese prices for 99.8pc grade cobalt metal stood at 235-255 yuan/kg ($32.49-35.26/kg) ex-works on 13 March, the highest level in almost 1.5 years, while Argus cif China assessment for 30pc grade cobalt hydroxide hit a two-year high of $9.50-10.80/lb cif China on the same day. Cobalt prices are expected to remain buoyant if the ban is extended, given DRC's majority share of global cobalt supply. But other products such as nickel sulphate and mixed-hydroxide-precipitate (MHP) also stand to gain from the ban. Argus -assessed Chinese nickel sulphate ex-works prices rose to a five-month high of Yn27,300-28,000/t on 13 March, partly supported by the ban because cobalt sulphate is a by-product of nickel sulphate production, while the Indonesian Nickel Index (INI) for 2-5pc cobalt payable in MHP surged to a record high of $154.80/metric tonne unit (mtu) on 14 March. Indonesia, the world's second-largest cobalt producer, is expected to benefit from the ban given the expansion of its MHP capacity . Market views on the ban were mixed, with some participants expecting prices to continue increasing owing to tighter cobalt supply. But others were less concerned, noting that there was abundant cobalt material outside of the DRC. Participants continued to closely monitor the market for further developments, with speculation on a possible extension of the ban and potential export quotas that could follow. Chinese Co metal prices vs INI MHP Co prices Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US rejects Australia's critical mineral deal


17/03/25
17/03/25

US rejects Australia's critical mineral deal

Sydney, 17 March (Argus) — The US last week rejected a deal with Australia offering access to its critical mineral sector in exchange for a metal tariff exemption, in the lead-up to the former implementing a 25pc tax on steel and aluminium imports. The proposal was not a financial deal, but involved "continued and improved [American] investment in getting access to [Australia's] critical minerals," Australian trade minister Don Farrell said in an interview on 16 March. The US government rejected the deal and refused to grant tariff exemptions for Australia on 12 March, following high-level discussions between officials from the two countries. Farrell has indicated that Australia's government is continuing to seek steel and aluminium tariff exemptions for its metal producers. He spoke to US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick on 14 March, and is scheduled to speak to US trade representative Jamieson Greer about the issue on 17 March. Australian aluminium producers will likely be hurt by the tariffs. US buyers purchased 93,000t of Australian aluminium in 2024, accounting for 10pc of the country's total aluminium exports. Australia's critical minerals proposal comes as US and Ukrainian officials continue to negotiate a deal over access to Ukraine's rare earth reserves. By Avinash Govind Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Argentina’s inflation continues to ease in Feb


14/03/25
14/03/25

Argentina’s inflation continues to ease in Feb

Houston, 14 March (Argus) — Argentina's inflation continued to ease in February, falling to its lowest since June 2022. The consumer price index fell to an annualized 66.9pc in February from 84.5pc in January and compared with 117.8pc in December, agency Indec reported on 14 March. Inflation peaked at 292pc in April 2024. On a monthly basis, inflation ticked up by 2.4pc in February from the prior month, when it came in at 2.2pc, the lowest since mid-2020. The government is targetting annual inflation to fall to 20pc for 2025, while international agencies and banks put it above 30pc. Lowering inflation is a central tenet of president Javier Milei's government, in office now 15 months, as it works to grow the economy and attract investment. It is also key to a new deal the government wants with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The government is forecasting growth in domestic product at 5pc in 2025. The economy contracted by nearly 2pc in 2024, an improvement over the 3.8pc decline forecast by the government and the IMF's estimated 5pc contraction. It is hoping for a flood of investment from an incentive law for large investments (RIGI), which was approved last year as part of an omnibus law to reduce the size of the state. The government expects a minimum of $20bn investment to be approved in 2025. A cornerstone of the improvement is a new agreement with the IMF, which will be used to ease capital controls and pay down the treasury's debt with the central bank. On 11 March, the government submitted a draft decree to Congress for approval of the IMF deal. The decree stated that the new IMF facility would include a repayment period of 10 years with a grace period of four and a half years. The decree does not include amounts, but a report from US investment bank Citi stated that it would be between $15-20bn. The government is still repaying the $44bn agreement with the fund agreed to the previous decade. By Lucien Chauvin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

EU finds no dumping on India HRC


14/03/25
14/03/25

EU finds no dumping on India HRC

London, 14 March (Argus) — A pre-disclosure to the EU's anti-dumping investigation found no dumping on hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports from India, while imposing provisional duties on Egypt, Japan and Vietnam in a range of 6.9-33pc from 7 April. Japan's Nippon Steel faces one of the highest import duties, at 33pc, while benchmark mill Tokyo Steel has the lowest, at 6.9pc. Fellow Japanese steelmakers Daido Steel and JFE Steel will be taxed at 32pc. All other Japanese producers will have a provisional duty of 33pc. Material from Vietnam will be subject to a 12.1pc duty, while Egyptian exporters face a 15.6pc tax. No provisional duties are proposed for imports from Vietnam's Hoa Phat, according to a leaked document from the European Commission. Egypt, Japan and Vietnam sold 2.2mn t of HRC into the EU last year, accounting for around 25pc of total imports. Egypt sold 694,000t, Japan 860,000t and Vietnam 727,000t. Indian imports will be unconstrained, as they are subject to a 0pc duty. It shipped 1.2mn t into its own quota last year. India was the most affected HRC supplier by the safeguard review, with imports from the country falling by 23pc to 225,000 t/quarter. The provisional rates mean Vietnamese HRC will remain easily workable into the EU, and the duties will have little impact on the volume of supply from the country — apart from the limitations already imposed by the safeguard review, which limits imports from other countries to around 111,000 t/quarter. Egypt would be "cooked", a trader said, with its import volumes likely to decline substantially, if the provisional duties become definitive. Prices in the EU are less likely to increase if these duty rates are imposed, and because the safeguard review results earlier in the week were less stringent than expected, a buyer said. The low duties on Vietnamese material — below most market expectations — will be welcomed by large re-rollers that account for a high share of the country's exports to the EU. Definitive measures are expected by 7 October. By Lora Stoyanova and Colin Richardson EU HRC provisional anti-dumping duties % Mill Provisional duty Japan Nippon Steel 33.0 Tokyo Steel 6.9 Daido Steel 32.0 JFE Steel 32.0 All others 33.0 Egypt Ezz Steel 15.6 All others 15.6 Vietnam Formosa Ha Tinh 12.1 All others* 12.1 India All mills 0† * No duties on Hoa Phat Dung Quat †no dumping found - EC Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Korea's Samsung SDI to raise funds for battery growth


14/03/25
14/03/25

Korea's Samsung SDI to raise funds for battery growth

Singapore, 14 March (Argus) — South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is looking to raise 2 trillion Korean won ($1.38bn) to fuel its battery production developments, citing a Hungary plant expansion and its joint venture investment with US carmaker General Motors (GM). The capital raise is based on the mid- to long-term growth prospects of the electric vehicle battery market, given that battery facility investments take 2-3 years to reach mass production, said the firm on 14 March. Samsung SDI previously flagged that it intends to expand its plant in Hungary's God to 40 GWh/yr. The firm in August 2024 signed an agreement with GM to build a two-phase nickel-cobalt-aluminum battery plant that is expected to have a final production capacity of 36 GWh/yr in New Carlisle, Indiana. The joint venture investment will take around $3.5bn. The proceeds will also be used to invest in solid-state battery line facilities in South Korea, said Samsung SDI. The firm launched its first all solid-state battery pilot line back in March 2022 and aims to mass produce solid-state batteries in 2027, which are more stable and have high energy density, it said last year. Its facility investment has quadrupled from W1.7 trillion in 2019 to W6.6 trillion last year, but Samsung SDI expects this to shrink this year, citing "investment efficiency". Samsung SDI's battery usage fell by almost 11pc to 29.6GWh in 2024, according to data from South Korean market intelligence firm SNE Research, given a decline in demand from major car original equipment manufacturers in Europe and North America. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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