Vale Canada announced a long-term supply agreement with General Motors for a supply of battery-grade nickel sulfate.
The battery-grade sulfate will be delivered from a planned plant in Becancour, Quebec.
Under the agreement, Vale Canada will provide GM with 25,000 metric tons per year of nickel sulfate.
GM will use the nickel to power its Ultium battery and support 350,000 EVs annually.
Per the announcement, deliveries will hopefully start in the second half of 2026, but the facility is yet to be completed.
Vale Canada’s Executive Vice President of Base Metals, Deshneee Naidoo, had this say about the announcement:
This is a momentous agreement for Vale Base Metals that brings a key partner in GM into this first-of-its-kind facility for Canada and North America. The proposed nickel sulfate project would utilize high purity, low-carbon nickel from our Canadian refineries and is a natural extension for the business, offering diversified sales and a fast entry and anchor point into the North American electric vehicle market. We look forward to continuing engagements with the governments of Canada and Quebec on this strategic critical mineral project.
In addition to the supply arrangement, the two companies agreed to partner on advanced technology development and commercialization pathways to recycle metals.
However, the two companies did not detail these future partnerships.
