MoEI, BEEAH, LOHUM launch joint venture to develop UAE’s first EV battery recycling facility

UAE — The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) has announced a landmark joint venture with sustainability leader BEEAH and India’s largest producer of sustainable critical minerals, LOHUM, to develop the UAE’s first large-scale electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling and second-life repurposing facility.

Unveiled during the World Future Energy Summit at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the partnership marks a major step in strengthening the UAE’s circular economy framework and supporting national electrification targets.

The new facility will be located within BEEAH’s Integrated Waste Management Complex in Al Saja’a, Sharjah.

The plant will use advanced technology to recycle and repurpose EV batteries and other lithium-ion chemistries, providing the UAE with domestic capacity to manage end-of-life batteries responsibly.

By 2026, the joint venture aims to process 1,500 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries per year and plans to double capacity within three years of operation.

To ensure compliance and transparency, the facility will integrate LOHUM’s digital platform offering end-to-end traceability, from battery collection and tagging to recycling and re-entry of recovered materials into the supply chain.

This supports producers with regulatory compliance, buyback schemes, and circular market participation.

Sharif Al Olama, Under-Secretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, said the project aligns with the UAE’s national agenda for electric mobility and positions the country as a future global EV hub.

“This specialized facility will operate at the highest technical and environmental standards, strengthening circularity and supporting our target of having 50% of vehicles electric by 2050,” he said.

He emphasized that the initiative enhances supply-chain resilience for critical battery minerals while reducing transport-sector emissions and creating new sustainable industrial opportunities.

BEEAH Group CEO and Vice Chairman, Khaled Al Huraimel, said the venture reflects BEEAH’s long-term circularity strategy.

“We are proactively addressing end-of-life EV battery management and reducing landfill reliance as demand for electric mobility surges,” he noted.

“Locating the facility within our flagship waste management complex strengthens our mission to manage emerging waste streams and advance Sharjah’s zero-waste target.”

LOHUM’s Chief Corporate Development Officer, Sachin Maheshwari, said the facility will apply LOHUM’s patented NEETM® technology to repurpose batteries for second-life energy storage before extracting valuable materials.

This includes lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite, materials that can be reintroduced into manufacturing, cutting carbon and resource intensity associated with virgin extraction.

The plant will implement a full-circle recycling chain, beginning with repurposing used batteries for energy storage systems, then safely dismantling components, and finally recovering high-value minerals for reintegration into the circular economy.

Research shows that prioritizing second-life applications before recycling significantly lowers environmental impact compared with conventional disposal or direct material recovery.

The joint venture reinforces the UAE’s strategic vision to lead clean-energy innovation, build domestic industrial capability, and support a resilient, low-carbon future.

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