The three-year agreement with a further two-year option is between wholly-owned Livium subsidiary Envirostream Australia Pty Ltd, a leader in the Australian battery recycling industry, and Hithium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology Co., Ltd.
It will see Livium exclusively recycle lithium-ion batteries supplied by Hithium to the Woolooga Solar Farm starting from January 1, 2025.
Hithium batteries, which are not associated with the Woolooga Project, may be recycled by Livium on a non-exclusive basis.
Diversifies battery sources
This partnership, which complements other executed battery recycling agreements, represents a first step into supporting renewable project clients nationally and further diversifies Livium’s sources of recyclable lithium-ion batteries.
In exchange, Livium will receive a processing fee for discharging, dismantling and processing Hithium batteries and a fee for supplementary services – including battery transport services, condition assessments and tailored services.
Global partners
Livium CEO and managing director Simon Linge said: "This agreement with Hithium further demonstrates our ability to partner with leading global lithium-ion battery manufacturers.
"The Woolooga Project is a great representation of the scope of renewable energy projects which are being developed nationally, and we see further scope for our recycling services for other projects.
“We thank Hithium for their partnership and look forward to providing quality services for them."
About Woolooga Project
Hithium provides the Woolooga Project 128 units of 5MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) containers based on Hithium's specialized prismatic 314Ah cells.
Woolooga Project will bring benefits to the local project area, including optimised grid management, load regulation, and continuity and stability of supply, especially at times of high renewable variability.
The agreement, whilst exclusive, has no minimum volumes during the agreement term and, as a result, Livium is not in a position to quantify the economic impact of the agreement at this stage.
Significant step
Hithium president of Global Business Mizhi Zhang said: "The Woolooga Project represents a significant step for Hithium in establishing a foundation for future energy storage initiatives in Australia.
"Sustainable disposal of our BESS products is key to our sustainability objectives, and we are delighted to partner with Livium, who have a proven track record of safe battery disposal.”
This agreement aligns with Livium’s focus to secure exclusive battery recycling contracts and diversify its end-of-life battery sources.
It also ensures a stable and scalable source of batteries from the BESS sector alongside other sectors, such as e-mobility.
