Plymouth-based cleantech firm Altilium has been awarded £18.5m in grant funding through the UK government’s DRIVE35 Scale-Up Fund, delivered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) and Innovate UK.
The funding will support the construction of Altilium’s new ACT3 recycling facility in Plymouth, which will be the UK’s first commercial refinery for the recovery of critical battery materials from end-of-life EV batteries. The ACT3 plant will have capacity to process 24,000 EV batteries per year, producing high-value battery intermediates including nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), lithium sulphate and graphite – all of which are essential components for next-generation battery manufacturing.
“By scaling our recycling technology and building the UK’s first commercial facility of its kind, we are closing the loop on battery materials and enhancing the growth, productivity and competitiveness of the UK automotive supply chain,” says Christian Marston, COO at Altilium.
Construction of the facility is expected to commence in summer 2026, with commissioning planned for the end of 2027. The expansion is expected to create 70 new jobs in Plymouth. You can read more about the Altilium’s DRIVE35 funding plans here.
You can find out more about the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) led DRIVE35 Scale-Up Fund here.
