Glencore, Britishvolt team up for UK EV battery recycling plant

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LONDON (Reuters) – Mining big Glencore and electrical automobile (EV) battery startup Britishvolt will collectively develop a brand new UK battery recycling plant that can assist reuse costly key uncooked supplies like cobalt and lithium, the 2 corporations mentioned on Thursday.

The plant will probably be constructed on the web site of a Glencore operation in Northfleet, east of London and is ready to launch in 2023.

The recycling facility will be capable to course of not less than 10,000 tonnes (10 million kg) of lithium-ion batteries per 12 months. The corporations didn’t disclose their monetary funding or what number of jobs will probably be created.

But a supply acquainted with the plans, who spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned the plant ought to make use of up to 400 folks. The plant can even course of battery manufacturing scrap from Britishvolt’s deliberate battery manufacturing unit in northern England.

As the auto business gears up to shift to creating solely EVs – spurred on by proposed bans on fossil-fuel automobiles within the subsequent decade or so – the strain to provide environmentally and socially accountable batteries has elevated.

Recycling batteries can even cut back the quantity of cobalt or lithium Britain must import to make EVs.

“This recycling partnership enhances our long-term provide settlement for accountable cobalt from our operations in Norway and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Glencore’s head cobalt dealer David Brocas mentioned in a press release.

Last 12 months Britishvolt and Glencore signed a long-term cobalt provide deal and the mining big owns an undisclosed stake within the startup.

Last month Britishvolt secured UK authorities backing for its battery plant in Blyth, unlocking 1.7 billion kilos ($2.30 billion) in non-public funding.

When the three.8 billion pound, 45 gigawatt-hour (GWh) plant is absolutely operational in 2027 it ought to be capable to produce battery packs for over 450,000 EVs yearly.

($1 = 0.7376 kilos)



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