COBCO, a joint venture between CNGR and Al Mada, launched today a two billion dollar lithium-ion battery materials plant in Morocco, the first of its kind outside Asia, as it seeks to become a key supplier for electric vehicle and energy storage markets.
The project aims to produce 70 GWh worth of battery components annually, enough to power 1 million EVs, while tapping Morocco’s green energy and critical mineral reserves to compete with Asian dominance in the sector.
Spanning more than 238 hectares near the OCP port and phosphate hub, the investment is spread over three major industrial projects, that together form an integrated battery materials platform.
The first, inaugurated today, is the production of precursor cathode active materials based on nickel-manganese-cobalt technology, with an annual capacity of 120,000 tons.
The second focuses on the future deployment of lithium-iron-phosphate cathode production, with a target capacity of 60,000 tons per year, to be launched in tandem with the emergence of a regional LFP battery ecosystem.
The third pillar consists of upstream integration through critical metal refining and black mass recycling, with processing capacity exceeding 60,000 tons per year.
This structure enables COBCO to cover the entire battery materials value chain, from raw material transformation to circular recovery, maximizing local value creation, industrial resilience, and environmental sustainability.
“With COBCO, we are setting a new industry standard. We are consolidating our ambition to accelerate the green industrialization of the African continent while placing Morocco at the heart of the global energy transition.” said a senior executive at Al Mada.
The project mobilized over 5,000 jobs during construction and is expected to generate 1,800 direct and 1,800 indirect jobs, with an emphasis on high-skilled roles.
COBCO is also launching training programs in partnership with CNGR and Moroccan universities to build a national talent base in battery engineering, a sector previously absent in the country.
COBCO’s strategy hinges on localizing the entire battery material value chain, from critical mineral refining (nickel, cobalt, manganese) to recycling end-of-life battery black mass.
By capitalizing on Morocco’s free trade access to Europe and the U.S., abundant critical minerals, and geographic proximity, COBCO aims to serve as a supply-chain anchor for Western firms seeking resilience and regulatory compliance.
“COBCO’s mission is to establish itself as a first-rate supplier of battery materials. in battery materials, reconciling technical excellence with environmental requirements, ” COBCO said in a statement.
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