• Li-Cycle, a Canadian lithium-ion battery manufacturer and recycler, has announced extending its partnership with Ultium Cells LLC (a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution) to construct a new lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Ohio.

• Li-Cycle initially partnered with Ultium in May 2021, signing a multi-year agreement to recycle battery scraps generated from Ultium’s Lordstown, Ohio plant.

• Through the extended partnership, Li-Cycle is looking to build its fifth recycling facility in North America, which will be constructed in Ultium’s cell manufacturing site in Warren, Ohio. The plant will have a capacity to process 15,000 tonnes of battery scraps per year, allowing Li-Cycle to reach a total global capacity of 55,000 tonnes per year. The plant is expected to be operational in Q1 2023, and would reportedly be Li-Cycle’s largest lithium-ion battery recycling facility.

• As per the deal, Ultium will construct the facility, and Li-Cycle will install its technology and takeover operations after the construction is completed. The facility will initially produce black mass (a powder-like substance with lithium, cobalt, and nickel), which will then be processed to generate battery-grade materials at Li-Cycle’s Hub facility in Rochester, New York, which is to be completed in 2023.

• The collaboration caters to Li-Cycle’s “Spoke and Hub network” expansion across North America. For Ultium, the partnership will enhance its recycling levels of battery scraps. 

<ul><li> Analyst Quicktake : Li-Cycle is actively teaming up with battery and energy-related companies to expand its battery recycling capacity and presence globally. Yesterday, Li-Cycle announced a joint venture with Eco Stor and Morrow Batteries to establish its first recycling facility outside North America in southern Norway. Before this, the company also partnered with LG Energy Solutions (LGEC) and LG Chem Ltd (LGC) to supply them with around 22,000 tons of nickel sulfate for LGC and LGEC over 10 years, starting from 2023.</ul>