Fortum Battery Recycling and Hydrovolt join forces to drive the Nordic battery industry forward
FORTUM CORPORATION PRESS RELEASE 29.2.2024
Fortum Battery Recycling and Hydrovolt, a Nordic battery recycler, have signed an agreement on the delivery of black mass to Fortum’s battery material recycling plant in Finland. The scope of the collaboration includes a cross-Nordic process: first, Hydrovolt mechanically recycles EV batteries at its first industrial plant in Fredrikstad, Norway. After the batteries are crushed and turned into black mass, the material is then shipped to Fortum’s hydrometallurgical plant in Harjavalta for further processing. At Harjavalta, the cutting-edge hydrometallurgical process recovers valuable and critical metals from the black mass. Eventually the materials are returned to the cycle and are used in the production of new lithium-ion batteries.
The partnership with Hydrovolt compliments Fortum’s already extensive knowledge in lithium-ion battery recycling. Fortum Battery Recycling aims to revolutionise the lithium-ion battery value chain for electric vehicle and industrial-use batteries, whereas Hydrovolt is one of the leading actors in its market with a unique dry-environment process that offers enhanced security and cleaner output. The collaboration allows both companies to strengthen their collaboration network in the Nordic region.
“We are excited to have started this partnership with Hydrovolt, another pioneer in the battery recycling industry. It is important to us to work with partners that share the same vision as we do – providing safe, cost-effective, and sustainable services for battery handling. Together, we can drive the battery industry forward with more efficient and sustainable solutions while also promoting Nordic collaboration and knowhow,” says Tero Holländer, Head of Fortum Battery Recycling.
“We are thrilled to enter partnership with an innovative and strong actor such as Fortum Battery Recycling. This collaboration is a great example of how we can create circular solutions paving the way for more sustainable practices in the industry. Together, we set a leading example in the Nordics, championing sustainable battery recycling and closed loop systems for securing critical raw materials,” says Ole-Christen Enger, CEO of Hydrovolt.
The need to recycle batteries is ever increasing – the new EU sustainable batteries regulation requires battery, electronics and automotive manufacturers to gradually increase the amount of recycled materials in batteries. In order to reach clean electrification, collaborations similar to Fortum Battery Recycling and Hydrovolt are needed to drive the battery recycling industry forward.
Fortum Corporation
Communications
Further information:
Fortum: Heli Poikonen, Director, Communications and Marketing, Fortum Recycling & Waste, +358 50 3794 119, heli.poikonen@fortum.com
Hydrovolt: Amanda Gran, Head of Communication & Public Affairs, Hydrovolt, +47 90560611, amanda.gran@hydrovolt.com
Fortum
Fortum is a Nordic energy company. Our purpose is to power a world where people, businesses and nature thrive together. We are one of the cleanest energy producers in Europe and our actions are guided by our ambitious environmental targets. We generate and deliver clean energy reliably and help industries to decarbonise their processes and grow. Our core operations in the Nordics comprise efficient, CO2-free power generation as well as reliable supply of electricity and district heat to private and business customers. For our ~5 000 employees, we commit to be a safe and inspiring workplace. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. fortum.com
Fortum Battery Recycling
Fortum Battery Recycling offers recycling services for lithium-ion batteries and battery production waste and recovers valuable battery metals to produce sustainable recycled raw materials for reuse. We have Europe’s largest closed-loop hydrometallurgical battery recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland and pretreatment and mechanical operations hubs in Germany and in Finland.
Hydrovolt
Hydrovolt is a sustainable battery recycling and raw materials company established in 2020. We are a 50/50 joint venture between the Norwegian industry giant Hydro and the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt. By pioneering battery recycling of EVs and industrial batteries, we create a circular solution for batteries at their end-of-life by enabling production of high quality, and sustainable raw materials. At Hydrovolt, a battery can become a battery an infinite number of times. We do this to ensure that no battery is ever wasted by enabling circular economy through our vision of completely clean electrification. Hydrovolt is headquartered in Oslo while operating one of Europe’s largest EV battery recycling plants in Fredrikstad, Norway. See hydrovolt.com for more.
