- Ecopro BM will develop a downstream processing facility with Blackstone’s Ta Khoa Nickel Project in Vietnam
- Recently, Australia has put itself up as a key supplier for minerals required in EV sector and green energy
According to a report by Reuters, Australia’s Blackstone Minerals Ltd has signed a non-binding joint venture agreement with South Korea’s Ecopro BM Co in order to develop nickel, cobalt and other minerals for battery manufacturing.
The report said that Blackstone Minerals said that Ecopro BM will develop a downstream processing facility with Blackstone’s Ta Khoa Nickel Project in Vietnam. As per the report, Blackstone’s managing director, Scott Williamson told Reuters that the Ta Khoa Nickel Project has significant potential to deliver the critical raw materials required for Ecopro’s cathode manufacturing process. He added that it also has the potential to meet the demand for high-nickel content cathodes.
Difficulty in finance
The report also said that Australia has put itself up as a key supplier for minerals important to industries like EVs and green energy. The issue remains that that developers aiming to move into battery chemicals production have encountered difficulty to get financed for their projects.
