It is one of the essential components of electric batteries for which the whole sector is fighting due to the supply difficulties of recent months: cobalt. To overcome this problem, Renault announced on Wednesday June 1 that it had signed a supply contract for this ore with the Moroccan group Managem Group.
Although the amount has not been communicated, this contract provides for the delivery of 5,000 tonnes of cobalt sulphate per year for seven years, starting in 2025. Production will be from “low carbon” cobalt ore, thanks to to the use of 80% of energy of wind origin but also via the recycling of battery materials at the end of their life. This contract will enable Renault to achieve its objective of reducing the carbon footprint of its batteries, set at 20% by 2025 and 35% by 2030 compared to 2020.
The French group thus ensures “a supply closer to our ecosystem of manufacturing electric batteries in Europe and low carbon”, welcomed the purchasing director of the Renault-Nissan alliance, Gianluca De Ficchy.
In any case, global manufacturers are engaged in fierce competition in order to secure their supplies of the rare metals necessary for the manufacture of batteries and the transition to electricity for their range of vehicles. The American electric car manufacturer Tesla, for example, signed a mega-contract for nickel from New Caledonia.
Last October, Renault itself announced a nickel supply contract with the Finnish group Terrafame, after another contract, for lithium this time, with the German Vulcan Energy.
