American carmaker, Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) announced alongside Alliance Nickel Friday the signing of a binding offtake agreement for the supply of 170,000 tons of nickel sulphate and 12,000 tons of cobalt sulphate in total over an initial five-year period.
This represents approximately 40% of forecast annual production of the NiWest Nickel-Cobalt Project in Western Australia. Pricing for the nickel and cobalt sulphate is linked to index prices.
In addition to the offtake deal, Stellantis agreed to purchase €9.2 million (AUD 15 million) in new equity in Alliance Nickel, giving it an 11.5% shareholding on completion and rights to nominate one director to the Alliance board.
“The commitments of Dare Forward 2030 and our industry-leading decarbonization drive are built on the foundation of a guaranteed supply of key materials for our battery electric vehicles,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “The partnership with Alliance Nickel is an important element of our plan to provide clean, safe and affordable mobility for people throughout the world.”
“The binding agreements with Stellantis, one of the world’s leading and most forward-thinking vehicle manufacturers, are transformative for the future of Alliance. It validates our development strategy for the NiWest Nickel-Cobalt Project and opens critical new funding options by securing a premier Tier 1 cornerstone customer and investor,” said Paul Kopejtka, Alliance Managing Director and CEO. “We look forward to a long partnership with Stellantis as we continue to execute our strategy to become the next Australian supplier to the global markets of premium battery-grade nickel and cobalt sulphate. This is truly a ‘We Win Together’ outcome for both companies.”
Stellantis is assembling a roster of key partnerships to ensure a stable supply of key materials for its electrified future. In addition to Alliance Nickel, Stellantis has partnerships with McEwen Copper, Terrafame, Vulcan Energy, Element 25 and Controlled Thermal Resources.
Shares of STLA are down 2.25% in pre-market trading on Friday.