Glencore and Li-Cycle have announced a joint study to look into the feasibility of a recycling hub for critical battery minerals, including nickel, cobalt and lithium.
The hub would be based in Portovesme, Italy (repurposing the closed zinc sulphide “Portovesme Hub”) with a processing capacity of up to 50,000 to 70,000 tonnes of black mass annually, or the equivalent of up to 36 GWh of lithium-ion batteries. It it planned to start operations in late 2026 to early 2027.
According to the Financial Times, it would be the largest such hub in Europe.
This project, combined with our existing footprint in primary supply as well as recycling of battery metals, underpins our ambition to become the circularity partner of choice for the European battery and EV industry. This also marks a significant step in our collaboration with Li-Cycle, a preferred partner in the lithium-ion battery recycling space
— Kunal Sinha, Global Head of Recycling, Glencore
The announcement comes as the EU’s new Critical Raw Materials Act has mandated that at least 15% of the EU’s annual consumption of critical minerals must come from recycling by 2030.
The challenge will be finding enough supply of materials that can be recycled — meaning more mining will be needed. Read more here: