The construction of Fortum’s new battery material recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland, is progressing according to plan; the first deployment testing will start after the summer. The new, state-of-the-art hydrometallurgical plant is on track for completion in early 2023.
“I’m pleased to see that the construction work is advancing as planned amid turbulent markets. We are already looking forward to starting the deployment testing, as this will mark the shift towards industrial-scale hydrometallurgical recycling of battery materials,” notes Tero Holländer, Head of Business Line Batteries at Fortum.
Once completed, the new facility will significantly increase the recycling capacity of battery materials in Europe. It will efficiently recycle the valuable metals found in the lithium batteries used in electric cars, as well as various waste fractions generated in the battery production chain.
“The recycling facility under construction is an investment in sustainable solutions for the future. Accordingly, we want the construction process to reflect this, which is why we have invested in low-carbon technologies and have ensured a high recycling rate at the construction site,” Holländer explains the construction process.
The new facility will strongly support the existing Finnish and European battery manufacturing ecosystems and will improve self-sufficiency in Europe by restoring the critical materials needed to produce more sustainable batteries in Europe.