Indonesia Cobalt Output Set to Rise in 2026

Lead paragraph

Indonesia is poised to increase its cobalt output materially in 2026 as a wave of new project launches and ramp-ups reaches commissioning, according to reporting by Yahoo Finance on Mar 24, 2026 (https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/commodities/articles/project-launches-ramp-ups-set-170121762.html). The report cites project-level additions and capacity escalations that, collectively, could lift output by roughly 25–35% year-on-year to an estimated 10,000–12,000 tonnes of cobalt-equivalent in 2026 versus an estimated 7,500–9,600 tonnes in 2025 (Yahoo Finance, Mar 24, 2026). That pace of growth would mark one of the fastest national expansions outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and has immediate implications for nickel-cobalt laterite processors, battery feedstock markets and regional downstream investment decisions. Market participants from miners to refiners and battery makers will be watching commissioning schedules, ramp rates and grades closely — small slippages or quality differentials can materially affect net cobalt recoveries and downstream margins. This analysis dissects the numbers reported, compares Indonesia's trajectory with global baselines, and outlines likely sectoral effects and risks.

Context

Indonesia's cobalt story is linked intrinsically to its larger nickel laterite sector. Most of the cobalt mined or recovered in Indonesia is a by-product of nickel laterite operations, where cobalt content is generally lower but recoverable if processing routes are optimized. Yahoo Finance's Mar 24, 2026 piece highlights a cluster of new plants and planned ramp-ups in 2026 that are expected to extract a greater share of cobalt from existing laterite streams. These developments include both expansion of mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP) lines and new hydrometallurgical circuits; collectively these technologies shift nickel projects from nickel-only output to nickel-plus-cobalt feedstocks.

Historically, Indonesia's cobalt contribution to global mined supply has been modest: the DRC has dominated with an estimated majority share through the 2010s and early 2020s. The reported 25–35% expansion in 2026 would not displace the DRC as the leading producer but would raise Indonesia's profile as a secondary, more stable supplier of lateritic cobalt for Asian refiners. For battery manufacturers, the key consideration is not just tonnes but cobalt-in-concentrate quality, impurity profiles and whether processing occurs domestically versus in third countries. The 2026 ramp could therefore alter trade flows even if the incremental volume is a single-digit percent of total global supply.

Policy and investment drivers undergird the operational changes. Indonesia's minerals policy — which favors downstream processing and has in recent years introduced export restrictions on raw ore — continues to incentivize capital deployment into smelting and hydrometallurgy. The projects cited in the Mar 24, 2026 report benefited from clearer permitting timelines and capital commitments, enabling construction and commissioning within the 2024–2026 window. Institutional investors and off-take partners are placing renewed emphasis on execution timelines after multiple prior cycles of delays in the Indonesian minerals sector.

Data Deep Dive

The Yahoo Finance report dated Mar 24, 2026 provides the principal near-term quantitative framework for this piece. It estimates a national cobalt output uplift of approximately 25–35% in 2026 attributable to new project launches and ramp-ups, translating to an estimated 10,000–12,000 tonnes versus roughly 7,500–9,600 tonnes in 2025 (Yahoo Finance, Mar 24, 2026). These headline figures are aggregates of several discrete project statements and producer-guidance figures; the range reflects both timing uncertainty and variable recoveries from laterite feed. For context, a 30% increase on a 2025 baseline of 8,500 tonnes would add roughly 2,550 tonnes of cobalt-equivalent on a year-over-year basis.

Project-level data in the same reporting show that incremental capacity arises from both new processing trains and commissioning of secondary-cobalt recovery modules inside existing nickel plants. For example, an operator's announced hydrometallurgical retrofits expected in H1–H2 2026 were reported to add several hundred to a few thousand tonnes of recoverable cobalt-equivalent capacity, depending on grade and recovery rates (Yahoo Finance, Mar 24, 2026). Recovery assumptions are critical: lateritic cobalt recovery can vary materially with process design, with low-end recoveries compressing throughput into cobalt produced and high-end recoveries amplifying output. The underlying technical assumptions in public company guidance range from 60% to 85% cobalt recovery at planned facilities.

Comparative metrics matter for investors and policymakers. Even with a 30% expansion, Indonesia's projected 2026 output would pale relative to the DRC’s dominant position, which has historically supplied more than half of global mined cobalt in most years. The incremental Indonesian tonnage would likely represent under 10% of global mined cobalt supply in 2026, assuming global production remains broadly steady; however, regional supply diversification and shorter logistics chains to Asian refiners could increase the marginal value of Indonesian output beyond raw tonnes.

Sector Implications

For nickel-cobalt laterite producers, the 2026 lift in cobalt presents an opportunity to monetize by-product streams and improve project economics. Cobalt credits can materially enhance margins on nickel projects when recoveries are optimized, converting previously stranded cobalt into high-value feedstock for battery-grade chemical supply chains. According to the figures in Yahoo Finance's Mar 24, 2026 report, several producers are budgeting incremental EBITDA improvements tied directly to cobalt recovery modules, although quantified company-level estimates vary and remain contingent on cobalt pricing.

Refiners and battery chemical producers will face choices between sourcing higher-volume, lower-grade laterite cobalt from Indonesia versus higher-grade sulfide-derived cobalt or recycled feedstocks. The reported increases in Indonesian output may encourage Asian refiners to secure offtake or invest in local downstream plants to capture margin and reduce shipping costs. This is consistent with regional industrial strategy: building battery material value chains closer to EV and battery cell manufacturing hubs in Southeast Asia and East Asia.

For end-users — primarily battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs — the incremental Indonesian supply may ease spot tightness at the margin, but not eliminate structural concentration risk rooted in the DRC. The timeline and quality of newly produced cobalt will determine whether it is fungible with existing contracts or if additional refining steps are required. That could have knock-on effects on contract pricing structures, premium differentials for higher-purity feedstocks, and the economics of cobalt-free battery chemistries that OEMs are evaluating.

Risk Assessment

Execution risk is the primary near-term hazard. The Mar 24, 2026 report itself notes the common pattern of commissioning delays and recovery shortfalls in complex hydrometallurgical projects. Slippage by even a single quarter on major plants would materially temper the annualized uplift projected for 2026. Operational risks — including variable ore grades, water management, and metallurgical scaling issues — can depress recovery rates below company maiden estimates, shrinking the realized cobalt yield.

Market risks include price volatility and demand-side shifts. If cobalt prices were to fall sharply in response to incremental Indonesian supply, some marginal projects could curtail planned ramp-ups, creating a self-correcting dynamic. Conversely, faster-than-expected EV adoption or supply disruptions elsewhere could push prices higher and support faster reinvestment in cobalt recovery capacity. Policy risks are also salient: changes to export rules, local-content requirements, or taxation could rework project economics mid-cycle.

Geopolitical and ESG risks are non-trivial. Compared with the DRC, Indonesia has a stronger sovereign-credit and infrastructure profile, but environmental and social governance issues — particularly around hydrometallurgical waste and land use — have produced community resistance in certain regions. Permitting friction or community opposition could increase operating costs and delay ramp-ups, a point underscored by project histories across the Indonesian archipelago.

Outlook

Looking to 2027 and beyond, if the projects reported to be launching in 2026 achieve nameplate recoveries, Indonesia could sustain higher cobalt output and attract further downstream investment. That would incrementally diversify the cobalt supply base and potentially compress regional premia for battery-grade feedstock in Southeast Asia. However, the overall effect on global cobalt markets will remain modest in percentage terms unless expansion continues beyond 2026 and is complemented by parallel investments in refining capacity.

A realistic base case sees Indonesia contributing increased, stable laterite cobalt volumes that complement rather than compete with DRC output. Upside scenarios include faster adoption of advanced hydrometallurgical recovery techniques and tied investments in refining, which could raise Indonesia’s cobalt contribution to the global market meaningfully. Downside scenarios hinge on execution gaps, lower-than-projected recoveries, or regulatory reversals that reinstate barriers to timely commissioning.

Fazen Capital Perspective

Fazen Capital views the reported 25–35% expansion in 2026 as a structural positive for regional supply-chain resilience but not a systemic shock to global cobalt markets. Our contrarian read is that the market reaction should focus more on quality of supply and processing footprint than headline tonnes. In practice, marginal increases in cobalt from laterite sources will reward players that invest in upgrading and refining rather than those that merely deliver higher tonnes of low-grade concentrate. This implies that equity and credit investors should price for differential margins between upstream miners and integrated refiners rather than assuming flat unit economics across the value chain. For institutional investors, a differentiated allocation to downstream processing exposures in Southeast Asia may prove more defensible than purely upstream bets on volume growth.

We also note a timing arbitrage: short-term spot prices may soften as markets preprice the expected 2026 volumes, creating potential dislocation against long-term contract dynamics and substitution incentives. A nuanced approach that monitors quarterly production disclosures, recovery rates and commissioned refinery capacities will be essential to evaluate whether Indonesian supply becomes a durable structural player or a transient boost.

FAQ

Q: Will Indonesia overtake the DRC in cobalt production in the near term? A: No. Even under the upper-bound scenarios reported on Mar 24, 2026, Indonesia's projected 2026 output (10,000–12,000 tonnes) would remain well below historical DRC production levels that have supplied the majority of mined cobalt. Indonesia's role is one of diversification rather than displacement.

Q: How material is the quality differential between laterite-derived cobalt and sulfide-derived cobalt? A: Laterite-derived cobalt typically comes in lower-grade, mixed hydroxide or MHP forms and often requires additional refining steps for battery-grade chemicals. That creates basis-risk: buyers may pay a premium for readily processed sulfide-derived feedstocks, even if laterite tonnes are abundant.

Bottom Line

Reported project launches and ramp-ups could raise Indonesia's cobalt output by roughly 25–35% in 2026, but execution, recovery rates and downstream processing will determine the market impact. Investors and supply-chain participants should focus on processing quality and refinery capacity, not headline tonnes alone.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.