[ferro-alloys.com]American Battery Metals said July 29 that it expects to commission the first phase of its planned lithium-ion battery metal recycling plant in Nevada during the first quarter of 2021 following the purchase of an industrially-zoned property for the project's construction.

"We continue to make progress in advancing towards commissioning our new battery recycling plant," American Battery CEO Doug Cole said in a statement. "Nevada is an emerging leader in welcoming new, sustainable technology companies and 'The Silver State' has rolled out their welcome mat for American Battery Metals Corporation."

American Battery said the site of the proposed recycling facility in Fernley, Nevada, was ideal due to its proximity to Tesla's lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle subassembly factory, low energy costs, and available transportation infrastructure.

The battery recycling plant will be a greenfield project in the region on a property without previous development or construction activity.

"This un-improved property allows American Battery Metals to implement its vision without any legacy impediments and to move to the construction phase quickly, without the need for large scale site remediation," American Battery said. "This strategy allows for the company to complete the detailed design of the long-term facility immediately, while only initially constructing the portion of the facility needed to implement the first phase of its battery recycling facility."

American Battery said the property purchase, as well as all due diligence on the property, should be completed by September 15.

The recycling facility, which was originally scheduled to commence operations by the end of 2020, is designed to process 20,000 mt of scrap materials and end-of-life batteries, according to American Battery's website.

The update regarding American Battery's recycling project occurs amid a growing emphasis on regional battery metal supply chain development in light of global market disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Benchmark Minerals Managing Director Simon Moores told the United States Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during a testimony June 24 that battery metal supply chain development in the US has lagged behind other regions.

"Simon highlights an important point," Cole said in a recent statement. "Consequently, we must aggressively develop domestic North American supply chains, everything from responsible mining to recycling."

(S&P Global Platts)

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