Officials with Ascend Elements announced Tuesday morning full developments of a partnership with South Korea-based SK ecoplant and its e-waste recycling subsidiary TES, which will build a $65 million lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Hopkinsville.
The 100,000-square-foot property will disassemble and shred roughly 24,000 metric tons of used EV materials and gigafactory scrap annually — equating to 56,000 EV batteries per year.
Construction has been scheduled to begin in November 2023, with completion expected in January 2025. SK ecoplant will be the majority owner (64%) with Ascend Elements owning 25% and TES owning 11% of the new joint venture.
The new facility will create approximately 60 jobs and produce approximately 12,000 metric tons of black mass per year. Black mass is considered a fine powder that contains the valuable cathode and anode materials inside an electric vehicle battery. And it will be used as part of the supply chain for Apex 1 and Ascend Elements in Commerce Park II.
