Covington to get largest electric vehicle battery recycling plant in North America

COVINGTON, Ga. — A lithium-ion battery recycling and engineered materials startup announced they will open their first commercial-scale battery recycling plant in the Covington area.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s office announced Wednesday morning that Battery Resourcers will invest $43 million to build what will be the largest battery recycling plant in North America and create 150 jobs when the plant opens in August of this year.

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“This is just the latest job creator to move to Georgia because of our leadership position in the electric vehicle manufacturing space,” said Gov. Kemp.

When it is finished, the company said their facility will have the ability to process 30,000 metric tons of discarded lithium-ion batteries and scrap the equivalent of 70,000 vehicle batteries per year. The company added that their recycling process will allow them to return battery grade lithium, cobalt and nickel into the battery supply chain quickly.

The company said once they recycle those materials, they are able to sell them back to battery manufacturers.

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Battery Resourcers CEO Michael O’Kronley said the company was looking forward to becoming a part of the Covington community and bringing jobs to the area.

“Automotive manufacturers are sitting on mountains of discarded batteries and scrap, and right now they have very few options for responsible and cost-effective disposal.” O’Kronley said. “With this convenient U.S. location and our technology, we can start to provide a sustainable solution that helps minimize the need for mining and returns valuable, battery-grade materials back into the lithium-ion supply chain.”

The company enters the metro Atlanta area at a time when the state is adding electric vehicle and battery manufacturers. In December, Rivian announced they will build an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in nearby Morgan and Walton counties. Lithium-ion battery maker SK Battery has a large facility north of Covington, in Commerce.

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The Battery Resources facility will open in an existing 154,000-square-foot facility on Industrial Drive with some operations expected to begin in spring of this year.

The company said they’ve already started the hiring process and encourage anyone looking for employment with them to go to their website for hiring information.

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