Swedish battery recycling plant leads the way

Stena Recycling Group has completed construction of its first recycling facility for lithium-ion batteries, claimed to be one of the first at industry scale in Europe.

The Swedish company says agreements are in place with industry partners in both battery and vehicle production to secure a high recycling volume from the start. In 2021 it received SEK 70.7 million (EUR 6.26 million) from the Swedish Energy Agency towards the cost of the new facility. Total investment amounts EUR 22 million.

‘Coming EU regulation, combined with the increasing electrification of vehicles and other products, means there will be huge pressure to find solutions to recycle vehicle batteries and create circular value chains,’ says Marcus Martinsson, product area manager batteries at Stena. ‘This investment will give Stena Recycling a key role in the process of electrifying the automotive industry.’

The new plant has an initial yearly recycling capacity of 10 000 tonnes and will handle material collected and pre-treated in Stena Recycling’s existing facilities and processes in Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Norway, Germany and in Italy.

‘We are prepared to scale up our battery recycling capacity as the market grows,’ Martinsson adds. ‘Within ten years we expect to handle at least five to ten times higher volume than what we can handle today.

Kristofer Sundsgård, president and ceo of Stena Metall Group, believes the cooperation between industry players will be essential for a successful green transition. ‘We are ready to develop and cultivate our cooperation with the complete value chain from battery producers, equipment manufacturers, to the electric vehicle industry to ensure a circular material flow, meet the demands of the market and regulators, and contribute to a more sustainable future.’