Developments in lithium-ion batteries are accelerating. Over the next decade, the number of batteries used in everything from household appliances to vehicles is expected to increase significantly. Stena Recycling is now investing heavily in meeting the need for recycling and helping to reduce the carbon footprint of batteries.
Stena Recycling recently announced an investment of a quarter of a billion SEK in what will become Sweden’s and one of Europe’s most advanced battery recycling facilities. The facility will be located in close proximity to the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad.
Construction of the plant, which is expected to handle around 10,000 tonnes per year in the first phase, began in the early autumn. It will handle everything from batteries from electric cars to batteries from various types of consumer products.
“We are currently defining the technology we will use in the different stages of the recycling process. As we are early adopters of this type of facility, it is exciting that we are breaking new ground and setting the standard in battery recycling. Our goal is to have the plant operational in the first quarter of 2023,” says Fredrik Pettersson, MD of Stena Recycling’s Swedish operations.
In parallel, investments are being made in an infrastructure in Stena Recycling’s other markets for the collection and sorting of batteries that will be sent to the Halmstad plant. So far, Battery Centers have been built in Sweden, Poland and Germany. Stena Recycling’s other markets, Denmark, Finland and Norway, are next in line, and after that Italy. The aim is to collect batteries from all over Europe for the Halmstad plant.
“Battery recycling is a fast-growing challenge in society and there is stricter legislation coming from the EU. In a few years this is likely to be a significant part of our business. With our size, infrastructure, customer base and expertise, we have all the prerequisites to become one of Europe’s leading players in battery recycling so that the materials in used batteries can become circular raw materials for the production of new ones,” says Kristofer Sundsgård, CEO and responsible for Stena Recycling’s operations in seven countries in Europe.
On 30 November, Stena Recycling is organizing a webinar on the recycling of batteries with the aim of offering expertise and insights on creating circularity in batteries.
More information about the webinar
Source: Stena Recycling
