Department of Energy offers funding for battery recycling

Battery recycling materials and management company Cirba Solutions has been selected to enter into award negotiation with the U.S. Department of Energy for up to $200 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for their lithium-ion processing facility in Columbia, South Carolina. The facility will manufacture battery-grade salts to support the growing electric vehicle (EV) market. The funding, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), will expand the nation's domestic battery recycling capabilities, working towards the goal of creating a domestic closed-loop supply chain for critical materials.

The South Carolina facility will recycle lithium-ion batteries obtained from end-of-life EVs, energy storage systems, end-of-life consumer materials, and manufacturing scrap from cell producers and automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). When fully operational, the site will be capable of processing more than 60,000 tons of batteries per year, providing enough battery-grade salts for approximately 500,000 EV batteries annually. The 200-acre battery materials campus will create over 300 full-time generational jobs, and over 650 construction jobs for the Columbia region.

"We're in the midst of a manufacturing revival in the United States as the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda continues to breathe new life into communities and local economies across the country," says U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "By positioning the U.S. at the forefront of advanced battery manufacturing, we are creating high-paying jobs and strengthening our global economic leadership and domestic energy security, all while supporting the clean energy transition."

Cirba Solutions is committed to the local communities that they operate in. The company provides competitive wages and a strong benefits package for its employees.

As part of their dedication to the Columbia region, they will engage in a variety of initiatives including partnering with local schools, increasing access and information to battery recycling and hosting recycling events.

"This project advances the growth trajectory Cirba Solutions is on, working to expand lithium-ion recycling capacity in order to achieve a closed-loop domestic supply chain," says David Klanecky, CEO and president of Cirba Solutions. "The funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides us with a vital opportunity to increase capacity through the sourcing and processing of these critical materials in a responsible and sustainable way. It will help strengthen our nation's supply chains, accelerate accessibility to critical battery-grade metals for new battery production, and help to establish our country as a true competitor in the global battery industry, all while enhancing energy independence and national security."

Cirba Solutions has previously received an award for $75 million in funding for the expansion of its Lancaster, Ohio lithium-ion processing facility. In August of 2024, Cirba Solutions welcomed David Crane, under secretary for infrastructure at the U.S. DOE, and Giulia Siccardo, director of the U.S. DOE Office of MESC to Lancaster for a tour of the facility and to view the funding impact first-hand.

The South Carolina development will be Cirba Solutions' seventh operational facility. The company, with more than 30 years of industry experience, currently has the largest battery recycling footprint in North America.