SK Ecoplant's battery recycling subsidiary has partnered with global automaker BMW to expand into the European market.
On the 14th, according to the industry, SK Ecoplant's subsidiary SK Tess has established a long-term partnership with the BMW Group for battery recycling in Europe. SK Tess has signed an agreement with a global automaker for the first time.
The main content of this partnership is to enhance the battery circular economy by utilizing lithium, cobalt, and nickel extracted from BMW's electric vehicle used batteries for new battery production. Under this agreement, the BMW Group will supply used electric vehicle batteries and scrap (defective products generated during the battery manufacturing process) from Europe to SK Tess starting in the second half of this year.
SK Tess will process the used batteries to extract essential rare metals for battery production, such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, from a black powder intermediate product known as "black mass".
The base for this project will be the battery recycling plant in Rotterdam, Netherlands, which SK Tess completed in September last year. Rotterdam is considered a key hub for the battery industry within the European Union (EU). The SK Tess Rotterdam plant has a total area of 10,000 square meters and can process used batteries equivalent to 40,000 electric vehicles annually, producing up to 10,000 tons of black mass per year.
The industry anticipates that SK Tess will take this partnership as an opportunity to begin expanding the European and global used battery market.