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TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Sino-Moroccan COBCO begins producing EV battery materials
Sino-Moroccan company COBCO said on Wednesday it had begun production at a plant for lithium-ion battery components in Jorf Lasfar, 125km south of Casablanca. COBCO is a joint venture between Moroccan investment fund Al Mada and CNGR Advanced Materials, a battery materials producer. Morocco's proximity to Europe, automotive industry, free trade deals, and available phosphates and cobalt make it attractive to Chinese EV battery makers. In a first phase, the plant will produce two key components for lithium-ion batteries: nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and precursor cathodes (pCAM), COBCO said in a statement. The materials will be produced from nickel, cobalt and manganese, which are key components for EV batteries and stationary energy storage, it said. Ultimately, the $2bn (R35.17bn) plant targets an annual capacity equivalent to 70 gigawatt-hours, enough to equip 1-million vehicles, a source close to the project told Reuters.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Chinese-Moroccan joint venture inaugurates EV battery parts plant
A Chinese-Moroccan joint venture announced on Wednesday the inauguration of a new factory for electric car battery components, the first of its kind in the North African country. The complex will ultimately have a production "capacity equivalent to 70 GWh per year, enough to equip nearly one million electric vehicles annually", according to operator Cobco , a joint venture between the Moroccan royal family's holding company Al Mada and the Chinese firm CNGR Advanced Materials . The first phase of the project will produce nickel-manganese-cobalt precursor cathodes, "essential components for batteries used in electric vehicles and stationary energy storage", Cobco said in a statement. The venture will eventually comprise three "complementary" projects, it added, including a facility for refining critical metals and recycling old batteries. China has become a global leader in electric vehicle battery production, while Morocco has recently invested heavily in renewable energy , which currently accounts for 38 percent of the electricity produced in the country.
Zawya
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Zawya
Sino-Moroccan COBCO begins producing EV battery materials
Sino-Moroccan company COBCO said on Wednesday it had begun production at a plant for lithium-ion battery components in Jorf Lasfar, 125 kilometres (78 miles) south of Casablanca. COBCO is a joint venture between Moroccan investment fund Al Mada and CNGR Advanced Materials, a battery materials producer. Morocco's proximity to Europe, automotive industry, free trade deals, and available phosphates and cobalt make it attractive to Chinese EV battery makers. In a first phase, the plant will produce two key components for lithium-ion batteries: nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and precursor cathodes (pCAM), COBCO said in a statement. The materials will be produced from nickel, cobalt and manganese, which are key components for EV batteries and stationary energy storage, it said. Ultimately, the $2 billion plant targets an annual capacity equivalent to 70 gigawatt-hours, enough to equip one million vehicles, a source close to the project told Reuters. The plant aims to reach an annual production capacity of 120,000 tonnes of NMC precursors and 60,000 tonnes of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cathodes. The LFP cathodes production will start "as soon as a regional LFP battery ecosystem emerges," the company said. COBCO's plant marks a first production start in Morocco's push to be a hub for the EV battery supply chain, as it seeks to adapt its automotive sector to EV industry requirements. Sino-European EV battery maker Gotion High Tech is building Africa's first gigafactory in Morocco, for a total investment of $6.5 billion, with production expected in the third quarter of 2026. Chinese auto battery manufacturers Hailiang and Shinzoom announced last year plans to set up two separate plants near Tangier, which would produce key EV battery ingredients: copper and anodes respectively. Chinese electric battery maker BTR New Material Group is also planning to produce key component cathodes in Tangier. Morocco is home to Stellantis and Renault vehicle production plants, and reported a 6.3% increase in automotive sector exports to a record 157 billion dirhams ($17 billion) in 2024, according to official figures. (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi Editing by Mark Potter)
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Morocco World
Electric Vehicles: Morocco Inaugurates 40,000-Ton Lithium Battery Materials Plant
Rabat – COBCO announced the inauguration of the first lithium-ion material manufacturing unit on Wednesday in Jorf Lasfar. With a capacity of 40,000 tons, the project is part of the first investment phase in the company's industrial complex dedicated to Nickel, Manganese Cobalt-based cathode precursors. The materials are key components for electric vehicles, batteries, and stationary energy storage, a statement from COBCO said, noting that the materials are made of metals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese. The Moroccan company, which is a strategic partnership between Al Mada and CNGR Advanced Materials, explained that the industrial platform spans more than 200 hectares. The company pledged that the project is a 'strategic milestone in the development of Morocco's clean technology industry.' 'This key step not only marks the launch of a pioneering project outside Asia but also catalyzes the emergence of a Moroccan ecosystem dedicated to the strategic battery industry targeting the MENA region, Europe, and the United States,' the statement reads, noting that the project strengthens Morocco's ambition to become a central player in global green technology value chains. The statement said the total investment for the project ultimately amounts to several billion dirhams, spreading across three complementary industrial projects. The COBCO production complex will include an annual capacity of 120,000 tons of Nickel Manganese Cobalt precursor production and 60,000 tonnes for Lithium-Iron Phosphate cathode production. COBCO pledges to continue to boost its activities to reinforce Morocco's industrial sovereignty and contribute to the consolidation of its automotive ecosystem in the context of the electric transition. The company is promising 5,000 jobs during the construction phase, with 1,800 direct skilled jobs and 1,800 indirect jobs created in the long term. The planned project comes as Morocco is aiming to increase its electric vehicle production capacity by 53%. Earlier this month, Minister of Industry Ryad Mezzour said Morocco's goal is to increase production to reach 107,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2025. Morocco's overall automotive production stands at 700,000 vehicles, and by the end of the year, Morocco is expected to produce one million vehicles. The automotive sector is Morocco's first exporting industry. Between 2014 and 2018, the sector created at least 116,000 jobs. Tags: Automotive ExportsElectric Vehicle Battery
Reuters
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Reuters
Sino-Moroccan COBCO begins producing EV battery materials
RABAT, June 25 (Reuters) - Sino-Moroccan company COBCO said on Wednesday it had begun production at a plant for lithium-ion battery components in Jorf Lasfar, 125 kilometres (78 miles) south of Casablanca. COBCO is a joint venture between Moroccan investment fund Al Mada and CNGR Advanced Materials, a battery materials producer. Morocco's proximity to Europe, automotive industry, free trade deals, and available phosphates and cobalt make it attractive to Chinese EV battery makers. In a first phase, the plant will produce two key components for lithium-ion batteries: nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and precursor cathodes (pCAM), COBCO said in a statement. The materials will be produced from nickel, cobalt and manganese, which are key components for EV batteries and stationary energy storage, it said. Ultimately, the $2 billion plant targets an annual capacity equivalent to 70 gigawatt-hours, enough to equip one million vehicles, a source close to the project told Reuters. The plant aims to reach an annual production capacity of 120,000 tonnes of NMC precursors and 60,000 tonnes of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cathodes. The LFP cathodes production will start "as soon as a regional LFP battery ecosystem emerges," the company said. COBCO's plant marks a first production start in Morocco's push to be a hub for the EV battery supply chain, as it seeks to adapt its automotive sector to EV industry requirements. Sino-European EV battery maker Gotion High Tech is building Africa's first gigafactory in Morocco, for a total investment of $6.5 billion, with production expected in the third quarter of 2026. Chinese auto battery manufacturers Hailiang and Shinzoom announced last year plans to set up two separate plants near Tangier, which would produce key EV battery ingredients: copper and anodes respectively. Chinese electric battery maker BTR New Material Group is also planning to produce key component cathodes in Tangier. Morocco is home to Stellantis ( opens new tab and Renault ( opens new tab vehicle production plants, and reported a 6.3% increase in automotive sector exports to a record 157 billion dirhams ($17 billion) in 2024, according to official figures.
