SUEZ Partners with Eagoal New Energy Group to Build Advanced Lithium Battery Recycling Base, supporting the Development of the New Energy Industry
- SUEZ signed a strategic investment cooperation agreement with Eagoal New Energy Group to jointly develop a lithium battery materials recycling facility¹ in China. The project will enable a closed-loop lifecycle for lithium batteries, from dismantling of retired batteries, recovery and regeneration of critical materials.
- Located in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, the facility is expected to be completed and commissioned in the second half of 2027. It will cover approximately 5.1 hectares and include a recycling line with an annual processing capacity of 15,000 tonnes of retired power batteries, as well as a digitalised production line for 1.5 GWh small power battery packs and energy storage battery packs.
- This new facility will support the development of a green, low carbon circular economy in the Yangtze River Delta, serving as a reference for Sino-foreign cooperation in power battery lifecycle management.
Jointly Building an Advanced Hub for Lithium Battery Recycling
As the new energy vehicle market expands rapidly, large volumes of power batteries are approaching the end of their service life. These batteries contain strategic and high-value metals, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Ensuring their compliant and efficient recycling is critical to reducing resource waste, lowering environmental impact, and securing supply chains for the energy transition.
SUEZ began developing its electric vehicle lithium battery recycling capabilities in 2019, and today operates relevant activities in the United Kingdom, with plans to invest in France. This new partnership with Eagoal in China represents a key milestone in SUEZ’s global strategy to build a comprehensive and interconnected battery recycling network.
The collaboration builds on SUEZ’s 20 years of local presence in the municipal and industrial water and waste sectors in Changshu. By leveraging the complementary strengths of both partners - ranging from resource alignment and operational excellence to technology capabilities and global market access - the project aims to establish a benchmark industrial base integrating waste battery recycling, critical material regeneration, small power battery packs and energy storage battery packs production.
Recently, the two parties further deepened the collaboration by signing a global strategic cooperation framework agreement, aimed at expanding the lithium battery market worldwide. This will encompass the recycling and recovery of production scrap and retired batteries, as well as related activities.
Contributing to a Closed-Loop Lithium Battery Lifecycle
The facility will deploy advanced dismantling and intelligent separation technologies, incorporating more than ten processes including shredding, oxygen-free drying, coarse crushing, magnetic separation, air classification, and gravity separation. Through fully enclosed, automated production lines, the facility will safely recover high-value materials, including copper, aluminium, and black mass from retired lithium batteries, for reuse in downstream battery cathode manufacturing, creating a closed loop for the new energy value chain.
Chu Bing, Chairman of Anhui Eagoal New Energy Group, said, “The partnership between Eagoal and SUEZ is built on a strong foundation, shared long-term vision, and a pragmatic, result-oriented approach. SUEZ brings extensive global expertise in environmental services and the new energy sector, supported by a well-established international network across more than 40 countries, while Eagoal contributes advanced technologies and a scalable, integrated operating model developed over years of industry leadership. By combining our respective strengths, we are well positioned to deliver high-quality, end-to-end solutions that support the sustainable growth of the global new energy circular economy.”
SUEZ is committed to accelerating industrial decarbonisation and advancing resource circularity in support of a low-carbon future. This partnership represents an important step in the development of SUEZ’s new energy portfolio in China. We are delighted to work with Eagoal to promote lithium battery recycling. This collaboration will not only foster the closed-loop management of lithium batteries throughout their lifecycle, but also support the green and low-carbon transition of the regional new energy value chain. We are confident that the success of this project will lay a solid foundation for expanding battery recycling operations in China and beyond.Pierre Pauliac , EVP International
1 SUEZ, Anhui Eagoal New Energy Group Co., Ltd., and Zhongdian Investment Construction and Development (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. own 35%, 51%, and 14% equity in the project joint venture, respectively.