Vale will be supplying Northvolt with low-carbon nickel from Canada as part a multi-year agreement announced last week.
Details about the volume of nickel involved in the deal were not disclosed, but Vale said the agreement was more than two years in the making.
The company added that there will be “further cooperation” with the Swedish EV battery maker, without specifying what the cooperation might be.
In a press release, Vale represents themselves as a “leading global producer of low-carbon and high purity nickel products.” As an example of how environmentally friendly their operations are, they provide details about their Long Harbour refinery in Newfoundland.
“Rounds from the company’s Long Harbour refinery in Newfoundland, Canada, have a verified carbon footprint of 4.4 tonnes CO2 equivalent per tonne of nickel – about one-third the Nickel Institute average for Class 1 nickel.”
It was likely figures like this which led Tesla to also sign a deal with Vale.
Earlier this week it was reported earlier this week that Tesla secured an undisclosed multi-year deal with Vale, also for low-carbon Canadian nickel.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously said he would offer a “giant contract for a long period of time” for companies that could mine nickel “efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way.”
