UPSC Prelims 2023 Q7: World Cobalt Production for EV Batteries
About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by
- Argentina
- Botswana
- the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Kazakhstan
Answer: (c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Argentina is known for lithium, not cobalt. With Bolivia and Chile it forms the 'Lithium Triangle' of salt-flat brine deposits. India's state-owned KABIL has signed a lithium exploration contract in Argentina's Catamarca Province. Argentina's cobalt output is negligible.
- b: incorrect — Botswana's economy is built on diamonds, and it is one of the world's largest diamond producers by value. It also mines some copper and nickel, but its share of world cobalt is very small.
- c: correct — The USGS reports that Congo (Kinshasa) produced about 144,000 tonnes of mined cobalt in 2022, roughly 73% of world output. It produced 74% in 2023. The ore comes from the Katanga part of the Central African Copperbelt, where cobalt is recovered as a by-product of copper mining. The DRC also holds about half of the world's known cobalt reserves.
- d: incorrect — Kazakhstan is the world's largest producer of uranium, not cobalt. It is also a major producer of chromium, but it is not a significant source of mined cobalt.
How to eliminate
Option logic barely helps here, because no option uses absolute words and all four countries are plausible mineral producers. The usual mineral associations can still narrow it down. Argentina means lithium, Botswana means diamonds and Kazakhstan means uranium, which leaves the DRC. If you know about the Katanga–Zambia Copperbelt, where copper and cobalt occur together, you can answer straight away. The fact to remember: the DRC mines about three-fourths of the world's cobalt (73% in 2022 and 74% in 2023, per USGS), while China refines most of it.
Know more
Cobalt and the battery supply chain
Cobalt is used in the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries, especially NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) and NCA chemistries. It is also used in superalloys for jet engines and in magnets. Because few countries mine or refine it, India and most major economies list it as a critical mineral.
Most cobalt is not mined on its own. It is recovered as a by-product of copper and nickel mining:
- Copper-cobalt sulphide/oxide ores of the Central African Copperbelt (DRC's Katanga region and Zambia)
- Nickel laterites in Indonesia, the Philippines, Cuba and New Caledonia
- Polymetallic nodules on the deep seabed (not yet commercially mined)
| Stage | Leading country | Approximate share |
|---|---|---|
| Mine production (2023) | DR Congo | 74% |
| Mine production (2023) | Indonesia (2nd) | 7% |
| Reserves (2022) | DR Congo | about 55% |
| Refining | China | Most of world refined cobalt, largely from DRC intermediates |
Similar 'one country dominates' facts for critical minerals:
| Mineral | Dominant source |
|---|---|
| Lithium | Australia (hard rock); Lithium Triangle of Chile–Argentina–Bolivia (brine) |
| Rare earths | China (mining and processing) |
| Graphite | China |
| Nickel | Indonesia |
| Uranium | Kazakhstan |
India's angle: India has no working cobalt mining lease and depends on imports. KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) looks for overseas lithium and cobalt assets in Argentina, Australia and Chile. The National Critical Mineral Mission (2024-25 to 2030-31) and the auction of critical mineral blocks aim to reduce this import dependence.
Also remember: much of the DRC's cobalt comes from artisanal mining, which raises child-labour and governance concerns. Questions on 'ethical supply chains' often refer to this.
In the news
Demand for electric-vehicle batteries put cobalt, lithium and nickel at the centre of supply-chain debates in 2022–23. India stepped up its search for overseas assets through KABIL, which expressed interest in lithium exploration in Argentina in December 2022. The near-monopoly of the DRC in mining and of China in refining was widely reported in this period, which explains both the question and its option list.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Katanga-Zambia copper belt: The copper-cobalt belt across Katanga and Zambia is the geological reason one country dominates world cobalt mining.
- Critical minerals: Cobalt is a textbook critical mineral: essential for EV batteries, yet mined mostly in a few countries.
- Polymetallic nodules: Seabed nodules rich in cobalt are the main future alternative to land-based cobalt sources.