SungEel MCC Americas has been issued a state permit for its planned lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Endicott, New York.
The Department of Environmental Conservation granted an air approval permit for the project, planned at the former site of the IBM manufacturing complex, according to WBNG.com, a news website for the area.
The firm, a joint venture between Korean company SungEel Hitech and US commercial recycling group Metallica Commodities Corp (MCC), uses a chemical-based recycling process.
Endicott Mayor Linda Jackson said the village will hire an independent environmental consultant to evaluate the process that culminated in the permit approval, according to WBNG.com.
There has been no indication how long the consultation will take, and SungEel MCC Americas has been asked to delay moving forward on developing the project until the evaluation has been completed.
BEST first reported on the project in 2018 when SungEel announced the New York State as the site for its first lithium-ion recycling plant.
The Endicott facility will have the capacity to recycle 5,000 metric tonnes (MT) of spent lithium-ion batteries every year, the companies said.
