Nearly 70 million euros: this is the amount of subsidies that the European Union has just awarded to Eramet to support its electric vehicle battery recycling project.
Eramet set itself a challenge: to develop the first closed-loop lithium-ion battery recycling unit in Europe. Since then, Eramet has successfully demonstrated its ability to recycle all the valuable metals contained in batteries in a closed loop, with very high levels of efficiency, adapted to the requirements of future European regulations.
Today, the European Union is supporting the project with a grant of nearly €70 million awarded to Eramet.
To date, this is the only recycling project selected at European level.
To support the development of low-carbon mobility, Eramet aims to become a major player in recycling in Europe. That is the whole purpose of this project, from the collection and pre-treatment of end-of-life batteries and gigafactory production waste to their recovery in the form of high-purity metal salts, suitable for the production of new batteries.
Today, the recycling of electric batteries is mainly based abroad and represents a sovereignty issue in a context of dependence and competition for access to raw materials. Through its ReLieve project, developed in partnership with Suez, Eramet is helping to secure the supply of metals needed to manufacture electric batteries in Europe and is participating in the circular economy.
The Group has already begun building a pre-industrial demonstrator at Eramet Ideas, its research and innovation center in Trappes, which is scheduled to start up in the summer of 2023. The aim is to optimize the efficiency of the recycling process and take into account the requirements of future customers and partners. At the same time, Eramet is studying the construction of a recycling plant in northern France.
The ReLieve project, co-funded by the European Union and BPI
