Editor’s Note
This article reports that a key environmental and public health inquiry has concluded favorably for a development project in Gironde, finding the project leader’s commitments sufficient to address public concerns.
The inquiry commission has issued a favorable opinion, according to the Gironde prefecture. It states that the commitments made by Emme, the project leader, are sufficient to address the environmental and public health concerns raised during the public inquiry.
The project involves the construction of a refinery dedicated to recycling lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles. The planned site is located in the Blanquefort industrial zone, near Bordeaux, in the Gironde department of southwestern France. The facility aims to process end-of-life batteries to recover critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel for reuse in new batteries.
With the favorable opinion from the public inquiry, the project now moves to the final administrative authorization phase. This project is seen as a key component of France’s and Europe’s strategy to build a sovereign and circular battery value chain, reducing dependence on imports of critical minerals and managing battery waste.
