# USSM selects Worley for Missouri cobalt refinery and black-mass processing engineering

> The engineering-services assignment includes procurement and construction support for a multi-metallic processing hub.

- Topic: Contract award
- Event date: 2026-08-06
- First published on EPC Feed: 2026-10-28T19:42:00.880Z
- Updated: 2026-10-28T19:42:00.880Z
- Companies: Worley
- Countries: United States
- Page: https://epcfeed.com/news/worley-ussm-missouri-cobalt-black-mass-engineering-2026


United States Strategic Metals has awarded Worley an engineering-services contract for a multi-metallic processing hub in Missouri. Announced on 6 August 2026, the agreement was placed by Missouri Cobalt, LLC, which operates as USSM. The development includes a cobalt refinery and a black-mass processing line. Worley's disclosed role combines engineering with procurement support and construction support, delivered through an integrated project management team; it is not presented as a complete fixed-price EPC award.

The proposed processing routes address different feedstocks. Cobalt hydroxide would be converted into alloy-grade cobalt metal products, while black mass would be processed into constituent cobalt, nickel, copper and lithium products. The announcement connects those materials with advanced manufacturing and energy storage. It identifies the intended product families without publishing individual recovery rates, production capacities or the detailed composition of the incoming materials.

Worley's Louisiana operations will lead the work, supported by teams in Phoenix, the United Kingdom and its Global Integrated Delivery Center in India. The company describes the project as supporting North American critical-mineral supply chains. That is its stated purpose; the release provides no quantified estimate of displaced imports or a commercial operating date for the full hub.

For EPC Feed, the engineering interest lies in managing two related but distinct processing functions within one development. A refinery handling a specified intermediate and a line recovering several metals need a clear basis for equipment selection, product specifications and connections to supporting services. The listed feedstocks and outputs establish the subjects that the engineering must address, but do not by themselves prove a particular process yield or a completed operating configuration.

The integrated management arrangement also makes the boundary between design and delivery support worth following. Procurement support can connect technical requirements with equipment selection, while construction support can carry design information into field execution. A later update identifying approved capacity, equipment orders or commissioning milestones would make the project's maturity clearer. At present, the confirmed development is the award of engineering and associated support services, with the technical and commercial results of the proposed hub still to be demonstrated.

## Sources

1. [Worley awarded contract for USSM’s multi‑metallic processing hub](https://www.worley.com/en/insights/our-news/resources/2026/ussm-multi-metallic-refinery-project). Company release, Worley, Published 2026-08-06, Read 2026-10-28.