Dunkirk Site Chosen by Eramet & Suez for Their Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Plant

Dunkirk has been chosen by Eramet, the European mining and metallurgical company, and France's SUEZ, as the location for their future industrial complex for recycling lithium-ion electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This project will enable the strategic metals used in batteries to be recycled in a closed loop, helping to secure the metal supplies needed for Europe’s energy transition.

The project involves an upstream dismantling plant and a downstream metal extraction plant.

The upstream dismantling and production plant is expected to start in 2025, with a processing capacity of 50 000 tons of battery modules per year, the equivalent of 200,000 electric cars batteries.

The final investment decision for the project is expected by the end of 2023 for the upstream plant, with a target start-up in 2025, and by the end of 2024 for the downstream plant, with a target start-up in 2027.

The Dunkirk site is located at the heart of the 'battery valley' that is emerging in the Hauts de France region.

Several battery production plants are due to open in the region over the next few years.

Christel Bories, Chair and CEO of Eramet, says: "The progress of the ReLieVe project confirms our desire to move forward with the creation of a battery recycling sector in France. New ‘urban’ mines are being set up on European territory: as a responsible mining player, our role is to develop this resource and give it a second life, with a considerably reduced environmental impact.”

Sabrina Soussan, Chairman and CEO of SUEZ, adds: "With the rise of the electric vehicle market, the recycling of used batteries is becoming a key issue in the circular economy. As a leader in waste sector, SUEZ provides innovative and resilient solutions to limit the consumption of virgin raw materials and secure supplies of secondary raw material."

Eramet transforms the Earth’s mineral resources to provide sustainable and responsible solutions to the growth of the industry and to the challenges of the energy transition.