DRC Haut Katanga's 48-hr lockdown raises cobalt output, logistics concerns

A two-day lockdown announced on Sunday night in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Haut Katanga province has heightened concerns that the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) could affect the supply of copper and cobalt coming from the region.

The lockdown prohibits all activity in the province, which, as well as being a production hub, provides a crucial export route for raw materials mined in Haut Katanga itself and elsewhere in the DRC. The lockdown was implemented after two cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the region.
The DRC accounts for about 65% of the world's cobalt production, with the majority of operations located in the Lubumbashi area of Haut Katanga province and Kolwezi area of Lualaba province - both of which sit in the southeast of the country.

Cobalt operations in Lubumbashi include China Molybdenum's Tenke Fungurume Mine (TFM), Eurasian Resources Group's (ERG) Metalkol Roan Tailings & Reclamation (RTR) project, Somika, and Shalina Resources' Chemaf though there...

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