Samsung in Talks for Multi-Year Cobalt Deal From Congo
- Samsung C&T has approached Somika to secure cobalt supplies
- Cobalt prices have more than tripled since the start of 2016
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Samsung C&T Corp., an affiliate of the world’s biggest smartphone maker, is in talks for a multi-year deal to buy cobalt from a Congolese miner, joining Apple Inc. in the global rush to secure supplies of the metal at the heart of the electric-car boom.
Samsung C&T has approached Somika SPRL to buy cobalt produced at its Kisanfu mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo after only buying copper from the company for the past four years, according to people familiar with the situation. It’s unclear how much cobalt will be bought and Samsung still needs to complete tests on the shipping cost and potential users, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.