The Finnish energy company Fortum is planning to build a lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Arten, Germany. Fortum intends to boost its recycling capacity for lithium-ion batteries to around 200,000 tonnes by the 2030, remarked Tero Holländer, Head of the Battery Business Line at Fortum Battery Recycling. Between now and then, the group plans to open two more hydrometallurgical facilities and seven mechanical recycling plants in Europe. In support of that plant, the energy firm is boosting its capacity and making major investments. “We aim to become a recognised provider of sustainable recycled raw materials for the European battery value chain and want to be closer to our central European customers,” Mr Holländer added.
This March, Fortum commissioned a lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Kirchardt, in southern Germany. This new plant is to process roughly 3,000 tonnes of batteries from electric vehicles, according to Frank Stumpf, Operations Director at Fortum Battery Recycling. The firm also commissioned a battery recycling plant in Finland in April. This hydrometallurgical plant, located in Harjavalta near Pori, processes batteries from electric vehicles.
SungEel recently abandoned a project in the region
The Arten facility will be the first large-scale battery recycling plant in the central German state of Thuringia. In April, the South Korean group SungEel dropped its plans to build a battery recycling plant in Rudolstadt. This move followed public concerns about the environmental impact of the facility at the planned location. Policy-makers in the state are now welcoming Fortum’s decision to build its plant in Arten.
