In the heart of Finland, nestled into the pine-clad fringes of the Gulf of Bothnia, sits Kokkola, a compact port city of 48,000 souls.
For more than three centuries it was a shipbuilding centre, but these days it has a different claim to fame: it hosts one of the only large cobalt refineries outside China.
Hans van LeeuwenJournalistHans van Leeuwen is The Australian Financial Review’s former Europe correspondent. He is now International Economy editor for The Telegraph UK.
