South Korea has broken ground on the country’s first recycling centre dedicated to breaking and recycling electric vehicle battery packs.
South Korean company Earthtech will invest 24 billion won (US$20 million) in the recycling centre in Yeonggwang Country, South Jeolla Province, according to the country’s news outlet The Korea Bizwire.
The centre will include disassembling facilities, performance testing grounds for used batteries, and other facilities for various tests and examinations.
Battery packs could be recycled into stationary energy storage systems depending on end-of-life condition and usable capacity.
The first phase of construction is scheduled for March next year. Once completed the centre will reportedly be capable of disassembling 5,000 vehicles and process 2,000 tons of used batteries each year.
The centre will collect lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other valuable metals from the used packs.