Yuma County has permitted a production facility that will produce cobalt sulfate for EV batteries, a material crucial for America’s initiative to electrify the U.S. automotive fleet. EVelution Energy expects the facility to produce 7,000 tonnes of cobalt per year. The $200 million plant will call on 28.4 MW of on-site solar power generating arrays to be installed on 105 acres of the company’s 139-acre property in Yuma County. The estimated power needs of the cobalt processing facility are expected to be about 6 MW, allowing the company to sell excess power during the day to local electric utility.

EVelution expects to start construction of the processing facility in 2024 and expects to be fully operational by 2026, when it will have 360 full-time employees.

Currently about 70% of the world’s EV battery-grade cobalt sulfate comes from China.  EVelution Energy is hoping to contribute to supplying 40% of the EV battery-grade cobalt sulfate required by U.S.-made EVs by 2027.