Mining Firm ERG to Spend $1.8 Billion Doubling African Copper, Cobalt Output

  • Company expects first platinum output in Zimbabwe in two years
  • ERG considering building renewable energy plants in Congo

Raw cobalt is processed at a mine near Lubumbashi, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Photographer: Lucien Kahozi/Bloomberg
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Eurasian Resources Group Sarl, the mining firm backed by Kazakhstan, plans to spend $1.8 billion doubling its African copper and cobalt output as it taps demand for metals needed for the green-energy transition.

The four-year expansion in the Democratic Republic of Congo comes after cobalt prices almost halved over the past year because of a supply glut. A projected surge in demand for the battery material as more electric vehicles are made puts ERG in a strong position, according to Chief Executive Officer Benedikt Sobotka.