Rabat: The first manufacturing unit dedicated to the production of electric battery active materials, inaugurated by COBCO company on Wednesday in Jorf Lasfar, Morocco, marks a major milestone in the country’s industry.
According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, the development is a result of a strategic partnership between AL MADA, a Moroccan pan-African investment fund, and CNGR Advanced Materials, a global leader in battery materials. This industrial platform highlights Morocco’s increasing role as a regional hub in the clean-technology industry and its commitment to global green technology.
On the occasion of the inauguration, COBCO announced the commissioning of the first phase of its production complex for nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) precursor cathodes (pCAM). The industrial platform, which spans over 238 hectares, focuses on the recovery of metals critical to the energy transition, utilizing domestic natural resources such as phosphate, cobalt, and manganese. These raw materials are transformed locally into strategic components for batteries used in electric vehicle (EV) and stationary energy markets.
The plant has committed a total investment of MAD 20 billion (approximately $2 billion) and is tasked with producing high-tech chemical components for lithium-ion batteries, targeting mainly the European and North American markets. Two types of strategic products will be developed: NMC precursors, with a target production capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year, and LFP (Lithium-Iron-Phosphate) cathodes, with a target production capacity of 60,000 metric tons per year.
COBCO also covers the upstream part of the value chain, aiming to strengthen local integration and generate industrial value in Morocco. This is achieved through the refining of critical metals (nickel, cobalt, manganese) used in NMC precursors production and the recycling of black mass, the residue from crushing end-of-life batteries, to extract strategic metals (lithium, nickel, cobalt), with a processing capacity of 30,000 metric tons per year.
Ultimately, these capacities will generate a combined output equivalent to 70 GWh per year, sufficient to equip nearly one million EVs annually. By fostering the emergence of a Moroccan ecosystem dedicated to the strategic electric battery industry, COBCO aims to become a strategic industrial lever between Africa, Europe, and China. This effort is a key component of Morocco’s repositioning as a regional energy and industrial hub, serving the global energy transition.
During the construction phase, more than 5,000 jobs were created on the ground. Moving forward, the project will create over 1,800 highly skilled direct jobs, along with 1,800 indirect jobs in subcontracting, logistics, services, and local infrastructure.
COBCO’s environmental strategy is built on several pillars, including the establishment of a low-carbon footprint industrial plant based on circular economy and environmental performance. Certification procedures for international standards will commence in 2025, alongside sustainable production practices using Moroccan green energy-with targets of 80% usage by 2025 and 100% by the end of 2026-alongside the use of desalinated water and water treatment and recycling systems.
It is evident that Morocco is positioning itself as a credible and strategic industrial platform, combining free trade agreements with the European Union and the U.S., logistical proximity to Europe, a structured production environment, and a qualified workforce.