BY PHILIP BURGERT

February 9, 2012 • Reprints

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Demand for cobalt used in cellular phones and electric vehicle batteries is expected to remain strong but the sector could be plagued by supply disruptions due to logistics and infrastructure problems at its  principal mining source in the Democratic Republic of Congo ((DRC) and a looming threat of export quotas from China where most ores are shipped for refining.

Lara Smith, managing director of Johannesburg-based Core Consultants told the Investing in African Mining Indaba that the sector will see continued strong demand for cobalt driven by penetration rates of cellular phones in developing countries, as well as other portable devices, as well as lithium batteries for electric vehicles and robust demand from the superalloy industries

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