Hydrovolt has started building an EV battery recycling plant in, Fredrikstad, Norway.
The plant will have the capacity to process more than 8,000 tonnes of modules from car batteries each year, with the possibility to expand.
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Operations are planned to start in late 2021. Hydro and Northvolt have invested NOK120m (US$14m) in the plant through joint venture, Hydrovolt.
“Norway has long been a global leader in electric car adoption,” said Hydrovolt CEO, Fredrik Andresen.
“At the start of 2021, we became the first country in the world in which over half of all new cars sold are electric. We should therefore also aim to be world-leading in recycling the used car batteries, when electric cars reach their end-of-life.”
The plant will be powered by 100% renewable energy, extensively automated and designed for crushing and sorting batteries. Through a possible expansion, the plan is to also process other types of batteries other than those from cars, including from the marine sector, from all across Europe.
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By GlobalDataNorwegian company, Batteriretur, located adjacent to the new Hydrovolt plant in Fredrikstad, will supply batteries and operate the plant. Operations will be closely integrated with Hydro and Northvolt’s existing businesses.
Aluminium from the used batteries will be recycled and reused by Hydro, while the ‘black mass’ containing lithium, manganese, nickel and cobalt will either be reused in Northvolt’s battery production or sold to other parties.
“The world needs large-scale production of green batteries produced with a minimal carbon footprint and this needs to be supported by recycling processes to close the loop and improve the environmental profile of batteries even further,” added Northvolt chief environmental officer, Emma Nehrenheim. “Hydrovolt represents a key milestone on that path.”
Hydro and Northvolt formed Hydrovolt in the summer of 2020. In November, 2020, Hydrovolt received NOK43.5m in support from Enova, a Norwegian government enterprise supporting clean energy and climate efforts.
