Bridge Green Upcycle, an urban-mining company recovering materials from end-of-life and scrap lithium-ion batteries, and Hartree Partners, an energy and commodities trading firm, announced an initial eight-year lithium carbonate agreement on September 21, 2026. The agreement has an estimated value of $500 million to $1 billion under current market conditions.
Hartree will receive exclusive marketing rights for lithium carbonate produced by Bridge Green during the term. It will purchase and market approximately 10,000 metric tons per year across all grades produced at Bridge Green facilities. The parties may renew the agreement for an additional seven years, while initial lithium carbonate volumes are projected for 2028.
The estimated contract value is illustrative and will depend on delivered volumes and prevailing prices, according to the announcement. It does not represent guaranteed revenue.
The commercial agreement coincides with Hartree making an equity investment in Bridge Green’s bridge financing round. The funding is intended to support Bridge Green’s planned expansion of battery recycling and critical-mineral refining in the United States and India. Proceeds from a planned Series A round are expected to fund fully integrated commercial refining facilities in both countries, with Hartree serving as the downstream marketing channel as the facilities begin operating.
Bridge Green commissioned its Circularity Center India in the second quarter of 2026. The facility has a nameplate input capacity of approximately 7,200 metric tons of lithium-ion batteries per year.
The companies announced the agreement as the United States seeks to strengthen domestic critical-mineral supply chains. The country remains reliant on imports for more than 50% of its lithium supply, according to U.S. Geological Survey 2026 data. Hartree was also selected as a supplier for Project Vault, a proposed $12 billion public-private Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve announced in February.
Source: prnewswire.com
