The company Urbaser has started construction of the first lithium battery recycling plant in the Iberian Peninsula in the municipality of Cubillos del Sil, in the El Bierzo region of León. The groundbreaking ceremony, held with institutional representatives, marks the beginning of an infrastructure that aspires to become a benchmark for the treatment of end-of-life batteries from electronic devices and electric vehicles.
The facility, which is scheduled to become operational in the second half of 2027, It will process between 60.000 and 200.000 batteries per year and will reach a capacity of more than 20.000 tons per year. when it completes all its development phases. The project represents an investment of 40 million euros, of which 6,3 million come from the European NextGenerationEU funds through the IDAE's RENOCICLA program.
Institutional support and European funding
The institutional event was attended by representatives of the Government, the Junta de Castilla y León, the Diputación de León, the City Council of Cubillos del Sil, the Institute for Just Transition and Endesa, an entity that collaborated in the initial development of the project. The initiative was the best rated in Spain in the IDAE's RENOCICLA programThis enabled the company to obtain €6,3 million in aid. Urbaser's CEO, Fernando Abril-Martorell, emphasized that the plant will place León, Castile and León, and Spain "at the forefront of new mobility and European industrial autonomy."
Recycling and recovery process of materials
The plant, part of the Urbaser Electronics division, It will use a dry process to treat the batteries.Maximizing safety and achieving recovery rates higher than those required by European regulations for metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, copper, and manganese. According to Nicolás Corral, Development Director of Urbaser Industrial Solutions, the goal is to reintegrate these critical raw materials into the supply chain, reducing external dependence, confirming that Lithium batteries are recyclable.
The facility will process batteries from mobile phones, laptops, electric scooters and recycling of electric vehicle batteries, among other teams. The phased design will allow for a capacity exceeding 20.000 tons per year. and to offer an industrial solution to the existing irregular practices in the treatment of this waste. While construction is being completed, Urbaser is already providing storage and management services through its cross-border logistics network and a fleet of more than 1.300 trucks.
Economic impact and employment in El Bierzo
The El Bierzo region, historically linked to coal mining, It will see the creation of 50 direct jobs and nearly 200 indirect jobs. when the plant is operating at full capacity. The project is part of a just energy transition strategy, leveraging the area's industrial tradition. The company does not rule out future expansions depending on the growth of the battery market.
Iberian expansion of Urbaser
The Cubillos del Sil plant is the first step in a recycling network that Urbaser plans to develop in the Iberian Peninsula. The company is already working on the engineering of new facilities in Zaragoza (with commissioning planned for 2030), in southern Spain and in PortugalWith this initiative, Spain is equipping itself with its own industrial capacity to avoid the export of used batteries to other countries, contributing to the strategic autonomy of the European Union in critical raw materials.
In this way, the first large-scale lithium battery recycling plant in the Iberian Peninsula not only promotes the circular economy and electric mobility, but also It reinforces Spain's position as a key player in the recovery of strategic resources. for the energy transition, with a model that combines public and private investment, creation of skilled employment and sustainable reindustrialization in a region undergoing transformation.