“Hydrovolt is in the lead in Europe.”
Excerpt from newspaper Fredrikstad Blad.
Vice President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič wants close cooperation with Norway on the recycling of electric car batteries. He was clearly impressed by Hydrovolt’s investment in Fredrikstad during his visit on Monday.
“Now that we are investing heavily in the transition to an electric car fleet in Europe, it is very important to be able to reclaim the contents of EV batteries. The metals in the batteries must be recycled. Therefore, it is very useful to learn from the experiences here at Hydrovolt in Fredrikstad. We want to strengthen cooperation with Norway in the development of sustainable industry. In the future, there will be many similar factories in Europe as the one now being built in Fredrikstad,” said European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič to Fredriksstad Blad.
Maroš Šefčovič (55) is from Slovakia and has been Vice President of the European Commission since 2019.
He was previously European Commissioner for Energy from 2014 to 2019, and as Vice President, he has the overall responsibility for the European Commission’s battery initiative.
In May, Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre was in Fredrikstad to open the new factory for recycling electric car batteries at Øra together with Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård.
Vestre then said that he had spoken positively about the initiative in Fredrikstad during his visit to Brussels and had invited EU Vice President Maroš Šefčovič to Hydrovolt.
Six weeks later, Vice President Šefčovič and Minister of Trade and Industry Vestre visited Fredrikstad.
– This is the only company that the vice president will visit during his trip to Norway, Vestre stated.
– Why did you want to show the vice president the company in Fredrikstad?
– We wanted to show him that recycling electric car batteries is not science fiction, it is happening now, Vestre told Fredriksstad Blad.
– Both the EU and Norway have a lot to gain from a good and close collaboration on the green transition, said Vestre who wanted to show a Norwegian company that contributes to Norway and Europe’s common goal of green transition and economic growth.
Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre wondered whether it is cheaper to recycle the metals from “black mass” than to extract new raw materials, also in the pilot phase.
CEO Peter Qvarfordt confirmed: the net result of recycling these materials, is positive.
Back in Oslo, Minister Vestre and EU Vice President Šefčovič signed a joint declaration on enhanced cooperation in the field of batteries and raw materials. This will also provide new opportunities for the development of the factory in Fredrikstad.