E-car battery partnership in Finland

Valmet Automotive and Fortum have joined forces to advance car battery recycling. The new collaboration is meant to ensure safe and sustainable recycling of all non-compliant battery materials from the battery plants Valmet Automotive operates in Salo and Uusikaupunki, Finland.

Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet assembles battery modules and systems from purchased cells. Battery systems are then either delivered to the customer or, if the customer has vehicles made to order by Valmet, installed directly in the vehicles. Battery assembly is already underway at the Salo plant and is scheduled to start in Uusikaupunki in the second half of 2021. Valmet has already received three major orders for products from this plant alone.

According to Tero Holländer, head of Fortum’s batteries business line, it offers a ‘unique and low-CO2 process’ to recycle up to 95% of the metals in the black mass. Materials in the black mass, such as lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel, will serve the production of new batteries. Currently, the recycling agreement is limited to the two companies’ home market. However, they are exploring the possibility of expanding their cooperation to Valmet’s sites in Germany to be closer to the major car manufacturers in the fast-developing EV sector.