Democratic Republic of Congo doesn’t count on vital disruptions to copper and cobalt manufacturing this yr attributable to chemical provide constraints stemming from battle within the Center East, a senior mining official advised Reuters.
The US-Iran battle that broke out on February 28 and has largely drawn to a halt after final month’s interim peace treaty, has disrupted sulphuric acid provides, an important enter for copper and cobalt manufacturing.
Zambia, a significant provider to Congo, has curbed sulphuric acid exports to prioritise home customers, prompting some Congolese miners to evaluate potential output reductions after report first-quarter exports, Reuters beforehand reported.
The world’s prime cobalt producer and second-largest copper miner exported 823 887 metric tons of copper within the quarter, up 4.8% from a yr earlier, official knowledge confirmed.
Cobalt hydroxide exports soared 24.5% to 51 940 t, or about 17 054 t of cobalt steel, within the quarter, whereas gold exports totalled 6.3 t, valued at $732-million.
“At this stage, we now have not noticed any main affect on nationwide manufacturing associated to the availability of mining inputs,” stated Grace Mabaya, a senior official within the Mines Ministry.
The outlook for the remainder of 2026 stays broadly optimistic, supported by robust copper demand and secure mining operations, Mabaya stated, including that almost all miners have long-term provide contracts, preserve strategic inventories or supply chemical compounds from regional suppliers, limiting the chance of main manufacturing losses.
Nonetheless, he wouldn’t rule out greater prices and longer supply occasions if disruptions persist.
Congo’s cobalt exports are more and more formed by authorities quotas and export controls, in response to Mabaya, as Congo pushes reforms to exert higher affect over the market.
China’s CMOC remained the biggest exporter in the course of the first quarter, whereas Glencore was additionally a significant contributor to copper and cobalt shipments.
