Comstock Inc. has recently declared that it has obtained an undisputed grant from the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners (“BoCC”) for the Conditional Use Permit (“CUP”) that was requested by LINICO Corporation (“LiNiCo”). This is to function as a lithium-ion battery (“LIB”) pre-recycling storage facility at an approximately 200-acre industrial property in Mound House, Nevada.
Image Credit: Shutterstock.com/Sunshine Seeds
With ample water, power, and instant highway access, the LIB storage facility of LiNiCo exists in one of the chief industrial parks in Lyon County, Nevada. It will receive, categorize, and store waste LIBs, with capacity for expansion and possible crushing and separating operations, as an add-on to the 137,000-square foot battery metal recycling facility of LiNiCo situated in the Tahoe Reno Industrial (“TRI”) Center in Storey County, Nevada (“TRI Facility”).
The receipt and storage of these batteries represent an essential component of our regional supply chain for recycling these critical metals. We are thrilled with Lyon County’s support as we secure this fundamental piece of the eco-system necessary for receiving, storing, and ultimately recycling waste LIBs.
Mr. Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, LiNiCo
To lower dependency on fossil fuels, electrification and continuous progress in energy storage are essential. As per the International Energy Agency (“IEA”), in 2020 alone, there were over 10 million electric vehicles (“EVs”) on the road, with new EV registrations increasing by 41% in 2019 and another 140% in the first quarter of 2021.
To meet this increased demand for EVs, it is estimated that about five times more lithium carbonate equivalent (“LCE”) than the entire lithium mining industry produces today will be needed. Manufacturers and miners will ultimately have to improve to fulfill that requirement, but, as per a January 2021 USGS mineral commodity summary, there are just around 86 million tons of lithium reserves found across the world, and LIBs are usually landfilled after eight to ten years of usage.
Simply put, lithium demand is growing internationally, and huge demand for lithium recycling is emerging as new electrification products are employed and aged without being used.
LiNiCo’s technologies are designed to meet the realities of this existing and rapidly growing demand by enabling profitability at the earliest stages of production. We are very pleased to receive the second of three major permits and we look forward to receiving our air quality permit for the TRI Facility, the final major permit, so we can commence recycling during 2023.
Mr. Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, LiNiCo