Fortum opens Europe's largest closed-loop hydrometallurgical battery recycling facility in Finland

Fortum Battery Recycling has started commercial operations at its new state-of-the-art hydrometallurgical battery material recycling facility in Harjavalta, Finland. The plant's capacity makes it Europe's largest and marks the first commercial-scale hydrometallurgical recycling facility on the continent. This large-scale facility is expected to meet the rising demand from European battery users for sustainable battery materials, thereby reducing Europe's reliance on imported critical battery raw materials.

The facility's process can recover up to 95% of valuable metals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and production waste. Tero Holländer, Head of Business Line, Batteries at Fortum Battery Recycling, explained that the new low-CO2 hydrometallurgical process enables the production of necessary materials for new lithium-ion batteries. The plant is already producing nickel and cobalt sulfates that meet customer specifications.

The facility's launch coincides with growing demand driven by the green energy transition and new EU regulations requiring increased recycled content in batteries. The first minimum recovery levels for cobalt, nickel, and lithium will come into force in 2026. Fortum has invested early in recycling technology and capacity to meet this future demand.

Fortum's recycling process covers the entire value chain in Europe, including pre-treatment in Germany, mechanical processing in Ikaalinen, and metal recovery in Harjavalta. By combining mechanical and hydrometallurgical processes, Fortum can recycle 80% of a battery. The company also recovers critical battery materials from industrial side streams.

The growth of e-mobility increases the demand for batteries and consequently critical raw materials. Recycling is a key component for the future to meet this demand. Fortum Battery Recycling is exploring opportunities to expand its operations to other European regions to address industry challenges.