Cobalt Blue Holdings (ASX:COB) and Glomar Minerals have entered into a consortium agreement to advance the development of a critical minerals processing facility in the US, combining Glomar’s licenses and minerals extraction capabilities with Cobalt Blue’s processing expertise.
The consortium plans to progress Feasibility Studies for the processing of polymetallic nodules together with the pilot testwork at Cobalt Blue’s Broken Hill Technology Centre, with the aim of delivering a “world-first” plant, supplying products to the US manufacturing and defense industries.
Polymetallic nodules are golf ball-shaped mineral deposits that sit unattached to the earth at depths of between 4,000 and 6,000m on the seafloor and are harvested and brought to the surface.
These nodules often have high concentrations of several key critical minerals, including manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper, as well as rare earths, titanium, and iron. Critical minerals sourced from polymetallic nodules are an identified national priority for the US and globally, providing a multi-metal feedstock from a single resource stream.
These nodules are most frequently found in the Clarion Clipperton Zone, which is where Glomar Minerals holds exploration licenses.
In April 2025, US President Trump signed an Executive Order, “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources”, identifying polymetallic nodules as a national priority.
Then, in January 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of the US Department of Commerce, revised regulations for exploration licences and commercial recovery permit applications as part of the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resource Act, as reported.
These revisions are part of an effort to both streamline and fast-track deep seabed mining.
NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs said at the time that the updated regulations “modernises the law and supports the America First agenda by enabling US companies to access these resources more quickly, strengthening our nation’s economic resilience and advancing the discovery and use of critical seafloor minerals”.
Cobalt Blue and Glomar’s consortium agreement will see the two parties building and operating the first polymetallic nodule processing facility in the US, called Project Infinity.
The agreement comes at a critical moment for critical minerals and aligns with the US-Australia Framework for Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths, stressing Australia’s key role as a technology partner.
Cobalt Blue notes that this partnership is an enabler for the delivery of their corporate strategy, positioning the company as a preferred technology partner and elevating its role in the global critical minerals supply chain.
The partnership is also expected to demonstrate the scalability of the company’s patented processing flowsheet and create near-term commercial opportunities.
CEO Andrew Tong says that the partnership provides a “compelling opportunity” to use the company’s patented hydrometallurical technology for feedstock.
“Polymetallic nodules offer the prospect of supplying multiple critical minerals from a single resource stream,” Tong says.
“Moreover, this initiative delivers the US Government’s strategic focus on derisking supply chains to support defense and advanced manufacturing.
“Our technical work to date indicates that high metal recoveries are achievable. Cobalt Blue is well positioned to support the development of a scalable US-based processing solution.”
Cobalt Blue is a critical minerals processing and mining company, focused on building mid-stream processing capabilities in Australia and the diversification of allied supply chains.
Write to Amy Rotman at Mining.com.au
Images: Cobalt Blue
