How the U.S. Lost Ground to China in the Contest for Clean Energy

How the U.S. Lost Ground to China in the Contest for Clean Energy

WASHINGTON — Tom Perriello saw it coming but could do nothing to stop it. André Kapanga too. Despite urgent emails, phone calls and personal pleas, they watched helplessly as a company backed by the Chinese government took ownership from the Americans of one of the world’s largest cobalt mines.

It was 2016, and a deal had been struck by the Arizona-based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan to sell the site, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which now figures prominently in China’s grip on the global cobalt supply. The metal has been among several essential raw materials needed for the production of electric car batteries — and is now critical to retiring the combustion engine and weaning the world off climate-changing fossil fuels.

Mr. Perriello, a top U.S. diplomat in Africa at the time, sounded alarms in the State Department. Mr. Kapanga, then the mine’s Congolese general manager, all but begged the […]

About the author: StockMan
Any information posted on the website has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs and as such, you should before acting on the information or advice, consider the appropriateness of the information or advice in relation to your objectives, financial situation or needs. Please be aware that any information posted on this site should not be considered to be financial product advice.
Posting Guidelines
Do
  • Do contribute something to the discussion
  • Do post factual information, analysis and your view on company valuations
  • Do disclose if you have an interest in a security
  • Do take our Terms of Use seriously
Do Not
  • Do not make low-content posts, unsubstantiated ramps or untruthful/misleading statements
  • Do not complain about a post unless you have reported it first, and not on the forum.
  • Do not post financial advice
  • Do not advertise or post sponsored content

Get involved!

Get Connected!

Come and join our community. Expand your network and get to know new people!

Comments

No comments yet