Townsville Bulletin

Leading the charge for battery deal

Hub to supply Samsung nickel

- TONY RAGGATT

SAMSUNG is looking Townsville as a source nickel for its batteries.

Listed developmen­t company Pure Minerals announced last week that it had signed a memorandum of understand­ing with Samsung SDI Co Ltd, an arm of the huge Samsung group, to supply nickel from its proposed Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub.

It said Samsung SDI was seeking to buy up to 6000 tonnes per annum of contained nickel in a combinatio­n of mixed hydroxide precipitat­e and final battery chemical sulfate forms.

As part of the MOU, the parties will negotiate a binding offtake agreement with an initial term of three to five years.

The companies will also work to establish product specificat­ions.

“We are delighted at the opportunit­y to work with Samsung SDI to become a potential customer of the TECH project,” Pure Minerals CEO Stephen Grocott said.

“We are consistent­ly gaining traction with end users who view Pure Minerals as a potential part of their future supply chain. to of

“This is evident in the MOUS we have signed to date with LG Chem and Samsung SDI.”

Pure Minerals announced the signing of a similar agreement in October with LG Chem, one of the world’s largest battery manufactur­ers, which prompted it to assess meeting LG Chem’s higher demand f for 10 10,000 000 tonnes of contained nickel a year — almost twice the capacity of the plant it is planning.

Samsung SDI specialise­s in developing lithium ion battery technology.

The company also manufactur­es cathode ray tubes for television­s and computer monitors, and produces liquid crystal display components and rechargeab­le batteries for cellular phones, personal digital assistants, energy storage systems and solar panels.

The TECH project is planned for a site in the Lansdown Eco-industrial Precinct on the Flinders Highway, about 40km southwest of the city.

It plans to produce nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, high purity alumina, iron oxide and magnesia.

 ??  ?? Pure Minerals CEO Stephen Grocott and (top) the nickel and cobalt testing station.
Pure Minerals CEO Stephen Grocott and (top) the nickel and cobalt testing station.

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