Li-Cycle Holdings, a prominent global lithium-ion battery resource recovery company, celebrated the official opening of its inaugural Spoke recycling facility in Europe, situated in Sülzetal near Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The grand opening event, held in August 2023, was attended by Saxony-Anhalt's Minister-President, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, alongside local dignitaries, community stakeholders, partners, and Li-Cycle employees.

Dr. Reiner Haseloff, Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, expressed the significance of this endeavor for the region, emphasizing its role in contributing to a sustainable, efficient, and competitive battery industry. He stressed the importance of a circular economy in achieving sustainability goals and fostering environmentally friendly living spaces.

The Germany Spoke facility utilizes Li-Cycle's patented and environmentally friendly 'Generation 3' Spoke technology to directly process all forms of lithium-ion battery waste, including complete electric vehicle battery packs. This process eliminates the need for discharging, dismantling, or thermal processing.

Sülzetal's central location, proximity to key battery manufacturing facilities and Li-Cycle customers, supportive industrial policies, and local community backing make it an ideal location for the Spoke facility. Germany represents the largest market for both battery manufacturing scrap and end-of-life lithium-ion batteries in Europe. Currently employing approximately 60 people, the Germany Spoke will further enhance the region's role in the clean technology industry.

Tim Johnston, Executive Chair and co-founder of Li-Cycle, expressed his pleasure in commemorating the opening of Li-Cycle's first European Spoke, emphasizing the company's commitment to expanding globally and supporting local and sustainable closed-loop battery supply chains. Richard Storrie, President EMEA at Li-Cycle, highlighted the significance of the Saxony-Anhalt location, which serves Li-Cycle's growing customer base in Germany, the largest battery market in Europe.

As Li-Cycle's inaugural Spoke facility outside North America, the Germany Spoke showcases the company's ability to deploy its scalable and patent-protected technologies worldwide. Li-Cycle plans to establish additional European Spokes in France and Norway. These Spokes produce an intermediate product known as "black mass," containing valuable battery materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt.

Li-Cycle intends to process the black mass from its Spoke network at Hub facilities. The first Hub facility, located in Rochester, New York State, is expected to begin commissioning in late 2023, with the capacity to process up to 35,000 tonnes of black mass annually. Additionally, Li-Cycle plans to develop a second Hub in Europe, in collaboration with Glencore. This new Hub facility, named the "Portovesme Hub," will repurpose part of the existing Glencore metallurgical complex in Portovesme, Italy. Phase 1 of the Portovesme Hub is anticipated to commence black mass processing in the first half of 2024, enabling the production of lithium carbonate, nickel, and cobalt. In full-scale Phase 2, the Portovesme Hub is expected to become a prominent source of sustainable recycled battery materials in Europe.