Ascend Elements Secures $320M to Build Europe's First pCAM Manufacturing Facility in Poland

Published: May 20, 2025 23:47

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Ascend Elements, a U.S.-based lithium-ion battery materials company, has secured $320 million, including a 1.22 billion Polish Zloty grant from Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, to build its first European precursor cathode active material (pCAM) manufacturing facility in Poland. The facility will utilize the company’s proprietary Hydro-to-Cathode® technology, which recovers nickel, manganese, and cobalt pCAM from spent lithium-ion batteries, aiming to establish a sustainable circular battery materials supply chain in Europe. The plant will be solely owned and operated by Ascend Elements and is part of the EU’s Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF) to support the net-zero transition. The project is one of the largest U.S. investments in Poland and is expected to boost regional development, technology advancement, and collaboration with local institutions. Additionally, Ascend Elements operates one of North America’s largest battery recycling plants in Georgia, with a new lithium recovery line targeting 3,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate annually, and is also building a large-scale Hydro-to-Cathode® pCAM plant in Kentucky, expected to be operational by late 2026.

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