A new lithium-ion battery recycling facility has opened in Zawiercie, Poland, marking a significant step forward in Europe’s electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain. The facility, operated by AE Elemental, a joint venture between US-based Ascend Elements and Poland-based Elemental Strategic Metals, celebrated its grand opening with industry leaders and local officials in attendance.

The facility has the capacity to process 12,000 metric tons of used Li-ion batteries annually, equivalent to approximately 28,000 EV battery packs. This makes it one of the largest battery recycling facilities in Europe.“We have come significantly closer to becoming a global leader in the market of recycling materials necessary to produce EV batteries,” said Michał Zygmunt, CEO of Elemental Strategic Metals, highlighting the company’s contribution of a state-of-the-art industrial downstream processing facility and an extensive network of waste collection points across Europe.

The facility will disassemble, discharge, and shred EV batteries to produce black mass, which can be used to create new engineered EV battery materials. Plans are in place to add commercial-scale lithium extraction capabilities by 2026.

“This is a significant milestone for Ascend Elements, representing our first commercial-scale battery recycling facility in Europe,” said Mike O’Kronley, CEO of Ascend Elements. “Expanding into Europe will allow us to better service our customers locally and help the industry comply with new EU rules requiring recycled material in new batteries.”

The joint venture is also planning to build an even larger lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Germany, with a capacity to recycle up to 25,000 metric tons of batteries per year.

As demand for electric vehicles grows, lithium-ion battery recycling is becoming increasingly important in the EV battery materials supply chain. The new facility aims to contribute to meeting EU requirements for recycled content in new batteries by 2030 while also reducing the environmental impact of battery production and disposal.