Glencore's Battery Recycling Hub in Italy Expected to Start Operations in 1st Half 2024

By Christian Moess Laursen

Glencore said it expects its battery recycling plant in Portovesme, Italy to start operations in the first half of 2024, following an acceleration of the project's operational plans.

The Anglo-Swiss commodity miner and trader said Monday that it has initiated a two-phase approach to the development of the plant.

Under the phase-one project, the hub is set to process up to 11,000 metric tons of black mass--shredded old batteries--a year, and produce up to 1,500 tons of lithium carbonate, up to 3,000 tons of contained nickel and up to 500 tons of contained cobalt.

The facility's full-scale production, which is part of phase two, remains unchanged.

Glencore said it expects black-mass processing capacity of 50,000 to 70,000 tons, a yearly lithium carbonate production of up to 16,500 tons, as well as yearly production of 18,000 tons of contained nickel and 2,250 tons of contained cobalt.

The plant is being jointly developed by Glencore's wholly-owned subsidiary Glencore International and Canada-based battery recycling upstart Li-Cycle.

The companies said they plan to form a 50-50 joint venture for the Portovesme hub in the future.

Write to Christian Moess Laursen at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 18, 2023 07:43 ET (11:43 GMT)

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