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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] SEOUL, April 29 — LG Energy Solution announced today that it has established a joint venture (JV) with French metal recycling and environmental services leader Derichebourg (DBG) to build a battery recycling plant in France capable of processing over 20,000 tons of used batteries annually.
This marks the first Korea-Europe battery recycling JV in Europe, with LG Energy Solution and Derichebourg each holding a 50% stake. The move aims to secure a stable supply of key battery materials—such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel—amid global price and supply fluctuations, while proactively responding to tightening EU battery recycling regulations.
The facility will be located in Bruyères-sur-Oise in the Val-d'Oise region of northern France, with construction set to begin next year and full operations expected in 2027. The plant will process both end-of-life batteries and production scrap (including cathode by-products and defective materials) collected from local sources.
The JV will specialize in pre-treatment: safely dismantling and shredding battery materials to produce black mass, an intermediate material that contains valuable metals. This black mass will then undergo further post-treatment processes to extract lithium, cobalt, and nickel. These recovered materials will eventually be used in cathode production and supplied to LG Energy Solution's global manufacturing facilities. The location of the post-treatment facility will be determined based on land availability, labor force, and investment conditions.
With this JV, LG Energy Solution aims to accelerate the development of a sustainable battery ecosystem in Europe. Under EU battery regulations enacted last year, minimum recycled content requirements for raw materials in batteries will be enforced starting in 2031—16% for cobalt, 6% for lithium, and 6% for nickel. These thresholds will rise by 2036 to 26% for cobalt, 12% for lithium, and 15% for nickel, necessitating proactive investment to ensure compliance.
AlphaBIZ Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
