Britishvolt, an investor in battery cell technologies, said it has entered a strategic partnership with Glencore PLC (LSE:GLEN), the FTSE 100 commodity trading and mining giant, to develop a UK-based battery recycling ecosystem.
Glencore, which took a stake in the battery startup last summer, will house the new recycling plant at its Brittania Refined Metals operation in Northfleet, with operations expected to start by the middle of next year.
Once complete, it is planned to be able to process 10,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries per year, the pair said, with the ability to recycle battery manufacturing scrap from Britishvolt’s proposed gigafactory in Blythe, Northumberland.
Glencore already calls itself a market leader in metals recycling but this will be its first battery recycling plant in the UK, as well as a new venture for its North-East partner.
The companies will look to develop other recycling activities, they said in statement, based on the belief that battery recycling will form a key part of the future energy transition.
Research from The Faraday Institution, who conduct research in advanced battery science, suggests lithium-ion battery packs will be available for recycling by 2028 but called for more substantial recycling facilities in the UK.
The London Stock Market has a listed battery recycling company in the shape of Technology Minerals PLC (LSE:TM1), which this week said its 49%-owned joint venture Recyclus has opened its first lead-acid battery recycling centre and has plans for a first lithium-ion recycling facility later this month.