A joint venture between EMR and mining group Lighthouse Minerals, the operation is expected to produce 25,000-35,000 tonnes of copper concentrate a year.
Battery boom promises new and growing market for high-grade nickel products, but half the world's supply of the metal is unsuitable for battery production.
Russia's Norilsk Nickel, the world's second-largest nickel and top palladium producer, reaffirmed its previous 2017 output forecast on Monday after a strong third quarter.
After years of dismantling discarded televisions and laptops, a Shanghai recycling plant is readying itself for a new wave of waste: piles of exhausted batteries from the surge of electric vehicles hitting China's streets.
A source said the LME had made contact with established online venues Trayport and EBS, which are currently focused largely on energy and foreign exchange.
Prices for cobalt metal, used in production of electric vehicle batteries, have tripled to nine-year peaks above $30 a pound from below $10 a pound in late 2015.
