- The battery recycling facility encounters significant resistance.
There's resistance towards a proposed waste processing center for car batteries in Artern. Due to various objections and issues, the public meeting scheduled for September has been pushed back, as announced by the Thuringian State Office for Environment, Mining, and Nature Conservation in Jena.
Investors have proposed plans for battery recycling facilities in various regions of Thuringia. For example, a partnership between the Korean companies SungEel and Samsung C&T is eyeing Gera as a potential location.
Issues with fire safety and ecological compatibility
A public meeting for the car battery recycling facility set to be built in the Kyffhäuserhütte industrial area of Artern's city was initially scheduled for September 24 at the Bergpalast of the Kyffhäuser-Burghof. A new date has yet to be announced.
By the July deadline, a total of 1,472 objections to the project in Artern had been submitted, including 49 individual objections and 1,423 signatures, primarily from a citizens' initiative. Additionally, 48 objections were received independently of the initiative. Many were quite specific, focusing on air pollution control, facility safety, fire safety, and environmental compatibility with water, wildlife, and species protection.
State office requests more time for examination
As the licensing authority, the state office intends to meticulously analyze the objections during the public meeting. It requires ample time for this task. "Carefulness takes priority here and outweighs the desire for a speedy resolution," explained the state authority.
The Finnish Fortum Group aims to construct a recycling center for electric vehicle batteries in Artern. Last year, it declared that a final decision on the site in the Kyffhäuserhütte industrial area would not be made until after the conclusion of the licensing process. According to current company information, it involves approximately 70 jobs and investments in the mid-range millions. Fortum, an energy company, specializes in the recovery of critical metals in lithium-ion batteries.
Several companies manufacture batteries in Thuringia - the largest is a plant of the Chinese conglomerate CATL near Arnstadt.
The waste processing center for car batteries in Artern, which is of circular cross-section, has faced opposition due to concerns over fire safety and ecological compatibility. The state office, as the licensing authority, has requested more time to meticulously analyze the objections to ensure carefulness outweighs the desire for a quick resolution.
In the proposed facility by the Finnish Fortum Group, the recovery of critical metals in lithium-ion batteries will be carried out using technology with other parts of circular cross-section to optimize the resource utilization.
