• Output hits 87,974 tons Jan-Sept
• Production from DRC mines faces new export quotas
• 2025 forecast cut amid market controls, oversupply concerns
  

Chinese mining company CMOC Group reported its cobalt production reached 87,974 tons from January through September 2025, a 3% increase compared to the same period in 2024, according to an operational report released on Friday, Oct. 24.

The output comes exclusively from the company’s Kisanfu and Tenke-Fungurume mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which also produce copper as their main product. This performance reflects strong extraction activity since the beginning of the year; CMOC had already declared a 13% year-on-year increase in cobalt production to 61,073 tons during the first half.

"In the third quarter of 2025, the company successfully achieved the planned production targets for its main products, laying a solid foundation for the successful completion of its annual mission," the document stated. CMOC has projected its total 2025 annual cobalt output to be between 100,000 and 120,000 tons, down from the 114,200 tons reported last year. Fourth-quarter results will be key to meeting these revised forecasts.

Despite the rising production momentum, the Chinese group has faced restrictions on exporting its cobalt from the DRC. An export embargo, imposed by Congolese authorities in March to stabilize prices in an oversupplied market, was replaced in mid-October with a quota system. Under this new mandate, CMOC is restricted to shipping only 6,500 tons of cobalt from the Central African country for the remainder of 2025.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou