With a feasibility study underway, this Western Canada region is poised to become a hub for recycling EV batteries.
Metal Tech Alley, is looking to transform the West Kootenay region in British Columbia into a major hub for recycling lead and lithium-ion (electric vehicle (EV)) batteries — and, in the process, to promote sustainability and improve the industrial circular economy in the region.
We know the push to promote EVs is global. In Canada, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is proposing new regulations stipulating that 20 per cent of all passenger cars, SUVs, and trucks in the country will need to run on electricity by 2026.*
This shift can help to address climate change, but it also creates a waste product: used batteries. Fortunately, it’s possible to recycle those batteries — the Kootenay region in Western Canada is in an ideal position to reap the benefits from that.
Right place, right time
Two battery-recycling facilities, KC Recycling and Cirba Solutions, are already in business in West Kootenay (specifically, in Trail, B.C.). Metal Tech Alley (MTA) wants to tap into that potential and expand the existing operations to boost the industrial circular economy in the area.
As a first step, the organization is conducting a feasibility study to identify what the region needs — and what it already has — to become a major battery-recycling hub in Western Canada. The study will also assess how the expansion can boost local economic development and growth.
After publishing the study, MTA’s next step will be crucial: funding. According to the organization, the project will need funding from government agencies and other sources — possibly a great opportunity to invest early in one of the most urgent industrial operations in the world.
To learn more about the battery hub expansion and how to invest in it, visit metaltechalley.com.
*“Canada moves to make one-fifth of all vehicle sales electric starting in 2026.” CBC News, December 21, 2022. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-ev-mandates-2026-1.6693967
