Electra kicks off North American feedstock evaluation for cobalt refinery

Electra Battery Materials (NASDAQ: ELBM; TSX-V: ELBM) reported the initiation of metallurgical testing on cobalt feedstock sourced from two key North American sites: the historic Cobalt Camp in Ontario, which also hosts Electra’s refinery, and the company’s Iron Creek cobalt and copper project in Idaho. The goal is to diversify and strengthen Electra’s cobalt supply pipeline by combining domestic sources with existing global partners. This initiative aims to create a resilient, flexible, and secure North American critical minerals supply chain while maintaining strategic relationships with partners like Glencore and ERG. These domestic sources are intended to supplement Electra’s current international feedstock agreements, boosting long-term security and operational flexibility.

Electra expects to receive preliminary results from this North American feedstock program by the end of 2025. These findings will help determine potential front-end modifications to Electra’s leach circuit, including a proposed addition of a pressure oxidation (POX) circuit to process a wider range of complex concentrates. The company’s in-house laboratory is installing equipment needed to evaluate these feedstocks. Supported by a highly experienced technical team, the lab will conduct bench-scale testing and analysis to validate and refine flowsheet enhancements, especially for processing North American materials at the company’s hydrometallurgical refinery, including arsenic-bearing polymetallic sulfide ores.

Dr. George Puvvada, vice president of metallurgy and technology, stated: “These tests will give us a clearer picture of how North American cobalt-bearing concentrates can be processed using Electra’s hydrometallurgical technology. North American concentrates often contain elevated levels of arsenic and other impurities, which have made them challenging to process with traditional methods. Building on the successful completion of the black mass recycling test program, I believe we can responsibly recover critical metals from North American feeds and significantly expand the range of materials our refinery can process.”

CEO Trent Mell emphasized: “Many North American cobalt resources remain undeveloped due to mineralogy incompatible with conventional smelting and refining. Our hydrometallurgical process offers a domestic solution, aligned with the needs of the battery market and geopolitical priorities.” He adds, “With critical minerals independence now a clear policy goal, we focus on developing localized midstream solutions supporting both U.S. and Canadian supply chains. Our facility is designed to adapt as market demands evolve, positioning Electra to lead this transformation.”

Initial testwork will include feed from legacy deposits in the historic Cobalt mining camp near the refinery, as well as cobalt-bearing material from the Iron Creek project in Idaho’s cobalt belt—one of the few primary cobalt resources in the U.S. The results will inform potential modifications to Electra’s leach circuit, allowing broader acceptance of arsenic-bearing polymetallic sulfide concentrates. While current efforts focus on cobalt-copper and cobalt-silver feeds, Electra believes these flowsheet improvements could also enhance the processing of gold concentrates with high arsenic levels—an area of increasing interest amid record-high gold prices.

This initiative comes at a pivotal moment, as U.S. and Canadian governments accelerate efforts to localize critical mineral supply chains and reduce dependence on foreign processing, especially from China. Electra’s refinery stands as a foundational element of the North American battery ecosystem, with the flexibility to adapt to changing regional feedstock and market needs.

Electra continues to advance North America’s critical minerals supply chain. Its flagship project is the only cobalt sulfate refinery in North America, designed to process cobalt hydroxide from the Democratic Republic of Congo into battery-grade cobalt sulfate, critical for lithium-ion batteries and energy storage. The company plans to expand into nickel refining and battery recycling, with ongoing projects involving black mass recycling, potential cobalt production in Quebec, and exploring nickel sulfate opportunities across North America. For more information, visit www.ElectraBMC.com.