The new plant is designed for an annual capacity of 500 MWh by 2026 Libattion is aiming to reduce dependency on raw material imports strengthen Europe’s energy security through local production and meet the growing demand for energy storage systems The 7,000-square-metre facility relies on a high degree of automation enabling large-scale battery storage production A clear growth trend is already visible: 7 MWh were produced in 2022 The modular storage systems range in capacity from 97 kWh to 60 MWh The production site is located on the same premises as the Swiss battery recycling company Librec creating regional synergies along the supply and value chain “The demand for energy storage solutions continues to grow and reusing EV batteries as stationary energy storage units unlocks huge potential for the European storage market” said Stefan Bahamonde “Our new production hall allows us to respond flexibly to market demands while making a significant contribution to conserving resources in Europe we can operate not only efficiently but also economically and precisely scale our capacity to match demand.” Safety is a top priority: every battery undergoes a thorough inspection process Multi-layered safety systems and continuous monitoring throughout the battery’s lifecycle ensure reliable and secure operation “Safety is paramount in our systems – through automated production and strict quality controls we can guarantee the highest safety standards for every storage unit” added Mr Bahamonde The opening of the Biberist facility is aimed at strengthening European battery production and energy security Co-locating with Librec enhances the economic value of the Biberist site and establishes a regional center of excellence for battery technology The growing demand for energy storage presents sustainable growth opportunities and will secure the site’s competitiveness on a global scale Libattion The company Librec is building Switzerland's first large recycling plant for electric car batteries in Biberist (canton of Solothurn) A new hall has been built for this purpose on the site of a former paper factory Librec plans to recycle 12,000 tonnes of electric car batteries per year in Biberist so does the need to recycle electric car batteries especially as the working conditions for mining the metals required for batteries are often unfavourable Battery recycling therefore offers the opportunity to produce at least some new electric car batteries from reused materials and thus alleviate the problem somewhat the company Librec is about to open the country’s largest recycling plant for electric car batteries The company has built a new recycling hall on the site of a former paper factory in Biberist The plant is due to go into operation at the end of October the batteries are first completely discharged connected to discharge technology and all remaining energy is sucked out of it,’ explains Jodok Reinhardt The energy obtained in this way is to be used for the recycling plant and thus covers a third of the energy requirement Librec wants to recycle batteries from all manufacturers “This recycling plant is the result of years of research,” says Librec founder Jodok Reinhardt Special attention is paid to fire safety in the factory – in case one of the batteries catches fire “Each battery is placed in a separate fire compartment the fire cannot spread,” explains Jodok Reinhardt Recycling is due to start at the end of October The maximum capacity per year is 12,000 tonnes of electric car batteries This is currently enough to serve the market The recovery rate is said to be 97 per cent which according to Reinhardt is even higher than that of competitors If the proportion of electric cars continues to increase expansion could be possible at a later date srf.ch, librec.ch (both in German) I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology Hiag welcomed another tenant from the clean-tech sector The start-up is building its first pilot plant in Switzerland in an existing commercial building covering almost 860 square meters Grensol focuses on the carbon-neutral recycling of waste from scrap cars Grensol AG is now the second Swiss clean-tech company on the Papieri site Librec has inaugurated its first industrial recycling plant for electric vehicle batteries in Biberist for which a new hall was built on the site of a former paper factory The plant will recycle 12,000 tons of electric car batteries per year The recycling plant in the canton of Solothurn was announced by Librec last summer and now boasts a “previously unattained recovery rate of over 97%” The plant recycles used vehicle batteries as well as rejects from battery production When the plant is working at full capacity connected to discharge technology and all remaining energy is extracted and used for the recycling plant The company says this energy covers a third of the plant’s energy requirements the rest comes from renewable energy produced on the plant’s rooftops Librec aims to recycle batteries from all manufacturers After the processing of crushed batteries into black mass copper and aluminium can be fed back into the production of new batteries Until battery recycling plants come online in Europe the bast majority of black mass can only be processed in China and South East Asia The lack of regional facilities means that Europe is faced with stockpiling shredded batteries critical raw materials can remain in regional loops of perpetual use “We are receiving very good feedback on our central recyclate and can assume that we are currently producing the best black mass in Europe at the most attractive conditions and with maximum sustainability,” says Jodok Reinhardt While Librec’s initial focus is on Switzerland the company is aiming for internationalisation we want to consolidate our operations in Biberist and maximise capacity utilisation we will examine attractive partners for cooperation abroad and also our own projects abroad,” says Jürg Steiger Chairman of the Board of Directors of Librec Incidentally, the same site in Biberist is also home to Libattion, which recently opened an upcycling facility for electric vehicle batteries erneuerbareenergien.de (in German) A recycling plant for electric car batteries will open in Biberist SO in October The plant is an important step towards sustainable waste management and resource conservation As reported by "Echo der Zeit " the number of electric cars is steadily increasing This growing fleet of electric vehicles raises an urgent question: what to do with the batteries when the cars have had their day Instead of disposing of these valuable energy sources in the trash or exporting them abroad the first large recycling factory for car batteries is opening its doors in Biberist SO this fall The new factory stands on historic ground: Paper has been produced on the site of today's recycling factory since 1860 This era ended in 2011 when "Papieri" ceased operations and 550 employees lost their jobs Large parts of the huge site are still empty today Librec stands for lithium-ion battery recycling and is managed by Jodok Reinhardt As founder and managing director of the company Reinhardt has a clear vision: "Imagine we can drive completely electrically in the future using electricity from the sun and water then we will have taken a big step forward as humanity." Reinhardt sees the new system as an opportunity to reduce the need for oil reduce the need for oil rigs in the sea and reduceCO2 emissions A better world to which he wants to contribute with his company his company will be recycling traction batteries from electric cars "The recycling of lithium-ion traction batteries for electromobility is absolutely solved We are talking about a recovery rate of 97 percent We have an industrial plant here in Biberist that solves the problem," explains Reinhardt Although the new factory is not yet fully completed the actual recycling operation is due to start in the fall with 14 employees And how exactly does this recycling process work the 400 kilogram traction batteries are discharged: "The battery is opened connected to discharge technology and all remaining energy is sucked out of it," explains Jodok Reinhardt The remaining energy is used for the factory's own needs which Reinhardt hopes will cover a third of its electricity requirements which can vary in complexity depending on the manufacturer and new batteries can be produced from the resulting powder - the so-called black mass "This recycling plant is the result of years of research," explains Jodok Reinhardt Given the potential fire hazard of electric car batteries the factory attaches great importance to fire safety Each battery is placed in a separate fire compartment to prevent it spreading in the event of a fire "The warehouse is the safest battery warehouse in the world," says Jodok Reinhardt The recycling plant can process up to 12,000 tons of car batteries per year but with the predicted increase in electric vehicles the proportion of electric cars is still small compared to petrol and diesel cars A battery for an electric car is a complex construction cobalt and lithium are recovered through recycling Critics of electric cars point out that landscapes are destroyed to extract these metals and that precarious working conditions prevail Recycling now requires less raw material extraction which reduces the associated environmental and social problems New battery recycling plants are currently being planned built or are already in operation throughout Europe Both newly established companies and car manufacturers are involved in these recycling projects The plant in Biberist stands out due to its high recovery rate of 97% which also makes it competitive in an international comparison "This puts us ahead of the international competition," says Jodok Reinhardt There are already smaller recycling plants even in Switzerland but none match the efficiency and capacity of Librec's new factory The opening of the recycling factory marks an important step in dealing with the challenges of electromobility and for the sustainable circular economy in the country which specialises in stationary energy storage systems using recycled electric vehicle batteries The company says it is the largest battery upcycling production facility for EV batteries in Europe the new 7,000-square-meter facility will have an annual capacity of 500 MWh by 2026 the Swiss company emphasises that the production facility could be scaled to 1 GWh Libattion aims to reduce dependency on raw material imports and meet the growing demand for energy storage systems,” Libattion states The Zurich-based company produces energy storage systems using used or surplus electric vehicle batteries Its modular designs cover a wide range of capacities Libbation believes that its product will be in high demand in the future saying that ‘7 MWh were produced in 2022 and reusing EV batteries as stationary energy storage units unlocks huge potential for the European storage market,” said Stefan Bahamonde It is located on the same premises as the Swiss battery recycling company Librec ‘creating regional synergies along the supply and value chain.’ About a year ago, Libattion announced that it raised 14 million euros These are the A&G Energy Transition Tech Fund Professional Jeweller Bernheim brothers invest £6.2m in Biberist site and create 60 jobs have invested CHF10 million (£6.2 million) in a new factory in Biberist The family business has been producing Mondaine watches in Biberist since 1967 Mondaine managing director André Bernheim said: “We weighed various options and decided to remain in Biberist We can produce quality watches cost efficiently in the new facility as well as count further on the expertise of our employees.” will produce the company’s own Mondaine M-Watch and Luminox watches as well as licensed brands including Camel Active and other watches for third-party companies The site will also be used to coordinate the European distribution of watches and jewellery for Esprit Ronnie Bernheim said: “With the opening of Mondaine House and the establishment of the Marlox Group we have reached a milestone in the development of our family business The decision to have a location in Switzerland is not without risk given in particular the Swiss Made law currently under discussion which threatens many businesses that produce in Switzerland.” The opening of the Swiss factory follows investment by the group last year the Bernheim brothers established the Marlox arm of the business production and distribution of fashion jewellery and watches of licensed lifestyle brands The brothers teamed up with strategic partners for the launch chairman of the international trading house DKSH