East Georgia is now home to North America’s largest electric vehicle battery recycling facility.

Massachusetts-based Ascend Elements cut the ribbon Wednesday on its 150,000-square-foot facility, which can process 30,000 tons of used lithium-ion batteries and manufacturing scrap per year. That’s equivalent to 70,000 electric vehicle batteries.

“This facility is critical infrastructure that’s needed in the United States to help support this energy transition,” said Ascend Elements CEO Mike O’Kronley. “We’re going to have millions of EVs on the road in the not-too-distant future; this facility isn’t going to be enough; we need more.”

Many electric vehicle batteries are thrown away and end up in landfills. The process from Ascend Elements would recycle up to 98% of that material.

The new facility will bring 185 jobs to the area.

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