LONDON (Reuters) -The Democratic Republic of Congo will revoke cobalt export quotas from companies that fail to export allocated volumes, breach environmental or tax rules, or transfer quotas to third parties, its mining regulator said in a statement on Saturday.
The new rules would take effect on October 16, it said.
The warning from the Congo’s Strategic Mineral Substances Market Regulation and Control Authority marks the resumption of cobalt exports from the world’s top producer under a new system after a months-long ban aimed at curbing oversupply and influencing global prices.
It also represents Congo’s most aggressive move yet to assert control over the critical battery metal, introducing a strict “use-it-or-lose-it” regime that could disrupt global electric vehicle supply chains if major producers fail to comply.
China’s CMOC, the world’s top cobalt producer, and Glencore, the second-top producer, emerged as the top beneficiaries of the new cobalt export quota regime, securing 6,500 and 3,925 tonnes, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2025.
The remaining fourth quarter 2025 cobalt export quotas are distributed among companies such as Congolese Gecamines JV, Entreprise Generale du Cobalt (EGC), Societe du Terril de Lubumbashi (STL), Deziwa JV, Ruashi Mining, Chemaf, CDM (Huayou), Musonoi JV, and several smaller operators, according to the ARECOMS directive.
Congo reserves the right to revoke quotas from companies that process third-party or artisanal cobalt, except state-backed Entreprise Générale du Cobalt and Société du Terril de Lubumbashi.
Firms that fail to meet traceability, environmental, or tax compliance requirements also risk losing their allocations, according to the statement.
Companies must prepay mining royalties based on monthly quotas and current cobalt prices before loading shipments.
From January 1, 2026, any unused monthly allocation would be forfeited and reallocated to a 9,600-tonne strategic reserve controlled by ARECOMS for “projects of national importance,” it added.
Twenty-one mining operators received allocations, with the top five accounting for 80% of fourth-quarter quotas. December 2025 allocations will automatically renew in 2026 for compliant operators, said the statement.
(Reporting by Pratima Desai; Writing by Maxwell Akalaare Adombila; Editing by Alex Richardson)
