Nearly 1,500 objections have been filed with the Thuringian State Environmental Agency against a proposed battery recycling facility in the Kyffhäuserkreis district. Many of the objections are highly detailed and will require additional time for the agency to thoroughly review them.
The proposed plant, to be built by the Finnish company Fortum in the Kyffhäuserhütte industrial area near Artern, has met with strong opposition from local residents. A citizens’ initiative in the Artern community has raised concerns about potential environmental impacts and reduced property values.
Key issues raised in the objections include environmental protection, fire safety, water protection, and nature and species conservation. Due to the volume and complexity of the objections received, the public hearing originally scheduled for late September at Kyffhäuser Castle has been postponed. A new date will be announced in due course.
Fortum’s plans for the plant involve an investment in the mid double-digit million euro range and would create approximately 70 jobs. The company specializes in recycling critical metals from lithium-ion batteries.
This project is part of a broader trend in Thuringia, where several potential investors are considering battery recycling facilities in various locations. In Gera, for example, a joint venture between Korean companies SungEel and Samsung C&T faced even stronger opposition, with 7,800 objections filed by April.
The State Environmental Agency will carefully review all objections before proceeding with the approval process for the Artern plant.
Source: MDR (in German)
