BASF to build cathode material plant in Quebec with integrated recycling

The German specialty chemical company BASF which has made large investments in cathode materials will establish a manufacturing base for cathode materials in Quebec in Canada. The project will also include a refinery for nickel and cobalt intermediaries as well as a recycling plant.

At this moment the company has yet only secured land by the St Lawrence river. This site allows for ample space to expand up to 100 kt CAM per year with potential for fully integrated precursor cathode active materials (PCAM) supply.

BASF has through its joint venture with Japanese cathode maker Toda a smaller cathode plant in Michigan with a capacity of 4,000 tonnes, the only operational cathode plant in North America today.

North American Cathode production capacity is key for a fully working recycling chain to be established in Canada and the US. Without cathode production the recycled material will leave the continent anyway and make battery producers dependent on overseas production. Besides BASF also Redwood Materials, POSCO and SK Innovation have announced plans for cathode production in North America while Ecopro and GEM also have expressed their intention to establish production on the continent.