COBCO S.A. is a prominent player in the battery materials industry, specializing in manufacturing and supplying essential components for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Headquartered in Morocco, the company is a joint venture between Al Mada, a Moroccan investment fund, and China’s CNGR Advanced Materials, a global leader in lithium-ion battery materials. This collaboration positions COBCO as a significant innovator in the battery supply chain, focusing on sustainable practices across refining, materials production, and recycling.
COBCO’s mission is to establish a low-carbon, high-quality, closed-loop battery material manufacturing ecosystem that meets evolving customer needs. The company aims to be a leader in providing battery material solutions for the European and North American markets by empowering the battery industry with responsibly sourced and environmentally driven technologies. Its operations contribute to Morocco’s industrial strategy, supporting the nation’s goal of becoming a leader in sustainable and innovative industries.
Battery Technology
COBCO S.A. covers the entire battery materials value chain, focusing on several critical areas. The company engages in the refining of key battery metals such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, lithium, and phosphates, sourced from both Moroccan and international partners. This upstream refining process adds local value and enhances supply chain security.
A primary focus is the large-scale manufacture of Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) precursor cathodes (pCAM), which are crucial for high-energy lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and grid storage. COBCO’s facility has an operational capacity for NMC precursors of 120,000 tons per year, making it one of the largest plants of its kind outside Asia.
Additionally, COBCO plans to produce Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cathodes, with an anticipated capacity of 60,000 tons per year. LFP technology is valued for its cost-effectiveness and safety, particularly for standard-range EVs and stationary energy storage.
The company is also developing recycling capabilities for black mass processing, with a planned capacity of 60,000 tons annually. This initiative aims to recover valuable metals from end-of-life batteries, promoting a circular economy. Together, these production capabilities enable COBCO to supply materials equivalent to 70 GWh per year, capable of powering over a million electric vehicles annually.
Recent Projects
COBCO has achieved significant milestones recently. On the July 2025, the company inaugurated its first manufacturing unit, boasting a capacity of 40,000 tons. On February 2025, COBCO signed a strategic pCAM supply agreement with Umicore, a key partnership in the battery industry. These developments follow the launch of the first pCAM NMC production lines in Morocco on January 2025.
Investors
COBCO S.A. is a joint venture between Morocco’s investment fund Al Mada and China’s CNGR Advanced Materials. Al Mada brings regional investment expertise, while CNGR contributes its technical knowledge as a global leader in lithium-ion battery materials. This partnership, representing a significant capital and technology collaboration between Morocco and China, has jointly invested over $2 billion (approximately €1.8 billion) into COBCO’s facilities. These two entities serve as the principal investors, funding and operating the company.
Business Details
Location: El Jadida, Morocco
Website: https://cobco.ma/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/105500397
