CNGR Morocco Allows Chinese Batteries to Get Around Tariffs
CobCo is a joint venture (#JV) between CNGR, a Chinese chemical and materials company, and Al Mada, a Moroccan investment fund targeting Africa, to produce and recycle battery materials in Morocco. The JV is a nearly partnership with Al Mada holding a slight majority of 50.03% share.
The gigafactory is strategically situated near the Jorf Lasdar seaport to facilitate import of materials and export of finished goods. It just started production of nickel-based precursor cathode active materials (PCAM) at the end of January 2025.
The PCAM plant is part of a USD 3 billion plan which also comprises a lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery factory and a battery recycling plant. Morocco enjoys preferential access to the EU and USA by virtue of having an #FTA with these two key markets. In addition, Morocco has rich deposits of phosphate, manganese and cobalt, which are #CriticalMinerals that go into the production of batteries.

The plant is located 100 km south of Casablanca on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. It is also purposely located near the OCP Group, which will supply phosphate necessary for the #LFP plant.
With the impending new tariff hike on Chinese goods, China views Morocco as a new industrial base which will allow its producers to mitigate the impact of tariff increases.
When fully operational, the industrial base will attain an annual production capacity of 70 GWh of batteries. That is enough batteries to power more than one million #EV.