Cobalt Blue (ASX: COB) has entered into a consortium agreement with deep-sea mining firm Glomar Minerals to advance a 200,000-tonnes-per-annum polymetallic nodule refinery to serve US advanced manufacturing and defence industries.
The deal will combine Glomar’s offshore exploration licences and mining capabilities with Cobalt’s patented flowsheet to progress feasibility studies assessing the technical and economic viability of the world-first plant, inclusive of pilot test work at Cobalt’s Broken Hill Technology Centre in New South Wales.
Cobalt and Glomar expect to complete the work over a 24-month period, after which the companies will seek funding to proceed to development.
The new refinery is expected to process a high-grade and large-scale nodule resource with minimal waste generation.
Mineral-Rich Nodules
Polymetallic nodules are golf ball-shaped mineral deposits that sit at depths of up to 6,000 metres, and have a high abundance within the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean, where Glomar holds significant exploration licences.
They are harvested using a collector system that retrieves them from the ocean floor and lifts them to the surface.
The nodules provide a resource rich in cobalt, manganese, nickel, copper, iron, rare earth elements and titanium, enabling multi‑commodity production from a single feedstock source.
They are an important element of the US government’s broader strategy to build new and secure supply chains for critical minerals essential to defence and advanced manufacturing.
Preferred Processing Partner
Cobalt Blue chief executive officer Dr Andrew Tong said the agreement positions the company as a preferred US‑aligned processing partner, and elevates its role in building new, reliable, and secure critical minerals supply chains.
“Our collaboration with Glomar provides a compelling opportunity to utilise our patented hydrometallurgical technology for a new and significant multi-commodity feedstock,” he said.
“This initiative delivers on the US government’s strategic focus of de-risking supply chains to support defence and advanced manufacturing and our technical work to date indicates that high metal recoveries are achievable.”
Separate to the consortium agreement with Cobalt Blue, Glomar will advance other activities related to polymetallic nodules including harvesting, shipping, and logistics and permitting.
Glomar chair Robbie Diamond said partnering with Cobalt would represent a “game-changer to redefine critical mineral dependence and assist the US to win the race for polymetallic nodule supremacy”.
