Fortum mulls battery recycling plant in Germany

The Finnish majority state-owned energy company Fortum is planning to set up a battery recycling plant in Germany.

Fortum Battery Recycling has started to examine the feasibility of installing a production facility for sustainable secondary battery materials in the industrial area of Artern, Thuringia, Germany, said the company in a press release on Thursday.

The black mass facility will be Fortum Battery Recycling’s second hub in Central Europe, demonstrating the company’s strong growth path.

In March, Fortum Battery Recycling started its first commercial operations in Germany, Kirchardt, as the first mechanical processing plant was opened. In April, the company started operating a hydrometallurgical facility in Harjavalta, Finland that is now Europe's largest closed-loop recycling facility.

“We aim to become a remarkable provider of sustainable recycled raw materials for the European battery value chain and want to be closer to our central-European customers. We see a lot of potential in the Artern region and have started to discuss a development plan for the production of black mass with the local authorities,” said Tero Holländer, Head of Business Line, Batteries, Fortum Battery Recycling.

The industrial area of Artern/Thuringia is located in the middle of Germany, with short distances to the central battery and automobile companies. The regional authorities and stakeholders have been swift and highly professional in the initial talks paving the way for the planning of the settlement.

The state of Thuringia aims to cover the entire value chain, from basic and applied research to the production of mobile and stationary batteries, and recycling, as one of the few German federal states. Thuringia's Minister for Economic Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee welcomes the plans and confirms the state's support for the planned settlement. He says he is pleased that Fortum's investment project is now taking concrete shape since the first contact with the company in April 2022.

"Thuringia is a major hub for batteries in Germany, which makes recycling technologies and investments in this sector very attractive to us. Fortum brings considerable expertise in the recovery of valuable rare metals from automotive and industrial batteries to the area. This final step in the life cycle of batteries is an important prerequisite for the success of the green transformation of the economy and society", Tiefensee said.

“We are discussing the potential development plans with Fortum Battery Recycling and are pleased with how the planning advances. The city of Artern would gladly welcome the estimated 70 new jobs that Fortum Battery Recycling’s site could generate at the region”, said Torsten Blümel, Mayor of Artern.