Local authorities receive 1,500 objections to battery recycling plant in Germany
MDR
The planned construction of a recycling plant for used electric car batteries in Eastern Germany has been met with much opposition, according to a report from public broadcaster MDR. Environmental authorities in the state of Thuringia, the planned location of the plant, have received almost 1,500 objections against the project by the Finnish Fortum Group, which specialises in the recycling of critical metals in lithium-ion batteries. Most objections focus on pollution concerns, fire protection, as well as biodiversity issues, while some local residents also fear a potential negative impact on property prices around the town of Artern. Many of the objections are so detailed that the authorities now need more time than expected to review them. Fortum said last year that it would only make a final investment decision once the approval process is completed.
According to the Fortum Group, the investment would be in the mid double-digit million range, and create 70 jobs, MDR reported. In the state of Thuringia, the citizens of which will elect a new regional government on Sunday 1 September, potential investors have plans for battery recycling plants at several locations. A joint venture between the Korean companies SungEel and Samsung C&T has its sights set on Gera, for example. As many as 7,800 objections had been received there by April.
The sourcing and recycling of input materials for green technologies like electric cars, wind turbines and solar cells must be improved dramatically to enable the energy transition. Germany's huge carmaking industry means the country faces a massive challenge to ensure that the resources needed on the way to clean mobility do not cause social and environmental damage.
