EVelution Energy LLC, a U.S. critical minerals company developing the first commercial-scale cobalt metal and cobalt sulfate processing facility in the United States, announced the signing of a binding long-term offtake agreement with Mitsui & Co., Ltd., valued at approximately $850 million over the five-year term of the agreement (based on current market prices).
Under the terms of the agreement, EVelution Energy will supply Mitsui with a substantial majority of the cobalt metal production from its facility currently under development in Yuma County, Arizona (up to 3,000 metric tons (contained cobalt) per year).
Mitsui’s participation underscores the commercial and strategic relevance of EVelution Energy’s platform and reflects strong demand from U.S. and allied industrial partners for secure and resilient cobalt supply chains.
The agreement comes at a time when the United States and Japan are advancing coordinated measures to strengthen allied supply chains and address non-market distortions in critical minerals.
More than 75% of global refined cobalt production comes from China, while the United States has no commercial-scale domestic cobalt processing infrastructure. The planned facility is designed to address this structural vulnerability by establishing secure domestic refining capacity aligned with U.S. industrial base resilience priorities.
When fully operational, the facility is expected to produce an aggregate of up to 7,000 metric tons (contained cobalt) per year of cobalt sulfate and/or cobalt metal. At projected capacity, the facility is expected to supply a substantial portion of U.S. cobalt demand across aerospace and the U.S. industrial base, EV batteries, and other advanced manufacturing applications.
Cobalt is a critical input not just in EV batteries, but also in jet engine superalloys, satellite systems, permanent magnets (including samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnets), high performance microchips, and other critical advanced technologies.
“This agreement represents a strategic milestone for EVelution Energy in advancing U.S. critical mineral processing capacity,” said Navaid Alam, President & CEO of EVelution Energy. “Establishing secure cobalt processing infrastructure in the United States is essential to strengthening the resilience of the U.S. industrial base and reducing long-term strategic dependence on non-allied refining capacity.”
The offtake agreement establishes a long-term commercial framework supporting the development of U.S. refining capacity while advancing deeper U.S.–Japan industrial coordination in strategic materials essential to the industrial base.
The Yuma County facility will be located in a federally designated rural qualified opportunity zone and is designed to generate its own solar power, recycle approximately 70% of its process water, and operate without on-site tailings storage or disposal. The project aligns with U.S. federal initiatives, including programs under the Defense Production Act, aimed at reshoring critical mineral processing capacity.
Construction of the facility is currently expected to commence in early 2027, with completion targeted by the end of 2029. This project is expected to have a substantial economic impact on Yuma County, generating more than $750 million in economic activity and creating more than 3,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs over the life of the project.
