Hydrovolt, Fortum Battery Recycling partner to champion battery recycling in the Nordic region

Hydrovolt and Fortum Battery Recycling, two battery recycling pioneers have signed an agreement to facilitate clean electrification and advance the Nordic battery recycling industry forward.

Hydrovolt and Fortum Battery Recycling signed an agreement on the delivery of black mass to Fortum's battery material recycling plant in Finland – marking the first commercial agreement for black mass offtake between the two companies in an emerging market with strong potential for growth.

"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," said Ole-Christen Enger, CEO of Hydrovolt.

The scope of the partnership intends to deliver on the new EU sustainable batteries regulation that requires battery, electronics, and automotive manufacturers to gradually increase the amount of recycled materials in batteries.

It also includes a cross-Nordic process by mechanical recycling of EV batteries performed at Hydrovolt's industrial plant in Fredrikstad, Norway. Post the crushing of the batteries and turning it into a black mass, the material will be shipped to Fortum's hydrometallurgical plant in Harjavalta, Finland, for further processing where valuable critical metals will be recovered to be returned to the cycle, to re-enter the battery manufacturing process for manufacturing new lithium-ion batteries.

The latest partnership also supports the companies' shared targets of innovating the lithium-ion battery value chain for EVs and industrial batteries.

"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 know how," said Tero Holländer, Head of Fortum Battery Recycling.