Atlas Ward is building a battery recycling plant in Zawiercie

General contractor Atlas Ward Polska has started construction of an innovative lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Zawiercie. The investment is being carried out on behalf of Elemental Strategic Metals, a company belonging to the Elemental Holding Group. It will be one of the first and largest facilities of its kind in Europe, of strategic importance for electromobility.

Work on the plant's construction has already begun. The area currently under development is 145,000 sqm. The area of the plot, dedicated to the complex, is 500,000 sqm. The new Elemental plant, which is being developed by Atlas Ward Polska's Cracow branch, will recover industrial and precious metals from batteries and accumulators used in electric vehicles, laptops and cell phones, among other applications. The lithium, cobalt, platinum, palladium or rhodium extracted in Zawiercie will be able to be reused in the production processes of valuable metals used, among other things, as feedstock for new batteries. 


"This is a very ambitious project both in terms of scale, technology and modern and highly anticipated final production. We are pleased that our many years of experience in the construction of manufacturing and environmental protection facilities has been recognized by Elemental Strategic Metals, and that it is our company that is taking part in the realization of this extremely important project for a sustainable economy." - says Piotr Nowak, director of the Cracow branch of Atlas Ward Polska.

"Elemental entrusted Atlas Ward Polska with this task, taking into account its high level of professionalism, experience in large industrial investments and good reputation in the market. We are counting on, Atlas Ward Polska to help us complete this demanding project on time and within budget. The plant, once operational, will offer 200 new jobs and will allow Zawiercie to develop an industrial center producing strategic metals for new technologies using modern and environmentally friendly low-carbon processes." - says Michal Zygmunt, COO of Elemental Holding S.A.

The investment will include a complex of facilities with a total area of nearly 23,500 sqm, consisting of seven buildings: LIBs battery recycling, pyrometallurgy and refining halls, a battery warehouse with workshop, a process wastewater treatment plant, an office building and a gatehouse. The construction process has been planned in such a way that all the facilities can be implemented simultaneously. The project is being implemented with high environmental standards in mind. Among other things, the complex will include air and water purification systems. A photovoltaic farm will also be built adjacent to the buildings to supply the complex with renewable energy. 

"Each building will be individualized in terms of technical solutions tailored to the specific needs and purpose of the facility. This primarily involves solutions for loads, geometry, as well as environmental corrosivity classes. In addition, a number of technological cranes will be used. We are designing the new Elemental complex using BIM technology, which significantly facilitates and speeds up the implementation of the project. BIM allows us to identify possible collisions even at the design stage, which positively affects the quality of workmanship, as well as better control and supervision of the construction process." - says Michał Szcześniak, Realization Director at the Cracow branch of Atlas Ward Polska.

The complex, which will be realized by Atlas Ward Polska, is being built in a key business location. Zawiercie is located in close proximity to the two most important agglomerations in the region - Kraków and Katowice. The nearby traffic arteries also guarantee easy access to the Czech and Slovak markets.

Completion is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.

source: press materials