00:00US-based mining startup Cobalt Metals, backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, have been granted seven permits to explore full lithium in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials announced this week.
00:13The permits cover a 4,500 square kilometer area in Manunu, a region already home to one of the world's richest lithium deposits.
00:24Congo, which supplies about 70% of the world's Cobalt, is positioning itself as a key player in the global clean energy transition with lithium critical for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage.
00:38Cobalt, which uses AI-driven exploration technology, said it will begin geological survey immediately.
00:44The company is already developing the world's largest Cobalt Copper project in Kowezi in southern Congo.
00:52Lithium demand is expected to quadruple by 2035 and Congo hopes to expand beyond Cobalt to become a major supplier.
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