Hydrovolt commissions pre-processing plant in Norway

Hydrovolt, the joint venture between Swedish battery startup Northvolt and aluminium producer Norsk Hydro, has commissioned its disassembly and pre-processing plant for EV batteries in Fredrikstad, Norway. The plant will be able to process 12,000 tonnes of battery packs and is expected to produce 2,000 tonnes of black mass annually. According to Hydrovolt the 2,000 tonne capacity will be met in 2025.

The plant in Fredrikstad is co-located with Batteriretur, Norway's largest compliance scheme for portable batteries and equally the largest collector of automotive and EV batteries in Norway. Batteriretur has also disassembled EV batteries and will continue to do so, now within Hydrovolt.

According to Hydrovolt the new system which has been delivered by BHS Sonthofen will be able to recover and isolate around 95% of the components and materials including, plastics, copper, aluminium and the black mass. A dust collection system ensures valuable material in the dust are captured. The black mass will then be further processed at Northvolt's subsidiary Revolt's new plant adjacent to the company first battery plant in Skellefteå, Sweden. Aluminium from the process will be sent to Hydro for further refining.

By the opening of the plant Hydrovolt announced it is exploring an expansion of recycling capacity within Europe, with a long-term target to recycle approximately 70,000 tons of battery packs by 2025 and 300,000 tons of battery packs by 2030.

With commissioned plant the pre-processing capacity in Europe is increasing to 92,000 tonnes which is set to double by the end of 2023.

Read more about Hydrovolt's new plant here:https://hydrovolt.com/europes-largest-electric-vehicle-battery-recycling-plant-begins-operations/