Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company, has announced a joint venture with Northvolt, a Swedish battery developer and manufacturer specializing in lithium-ion technology. The partnership, dubbed Hydro Volt, will focus on the recycling of battery materials and aluminum from Norway’s electric vehicle sector and aims to begin operations in Fredrikstad in 2021. 

Initially, the facility in Fredrikstad will have the capacity to process more than 8,000 tons of lithium-ion batteries per year; it will produce aluminum as well as black mass, a substance containing lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel. The black mass will be sent to a Northvolt facility in Sweden for recovery of its raw materials. 

“Northvolt has set a target for 50 percent of our raw material in 2030 coming from recycled batteries,” noted Emma Nehrenheim, chief environmental officer for Northvolt’s recycling business unit, Revolt.

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