NavPrakriti Green Energies Pvt Ltd, a newly incorporated company in the year 2024 and located in Kolkata, is engaged in the management of Eastern India’s first lithium-ion battery recycling plant. This development will fundamentally enable the region to handle the anticipated increasing volumes of battery waste generated from electric vehicles (EVs), consumer electronics, and industrial uses in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Industry sources suggest that India will need to recycle over 1.2 million EV batteries per year by 2030, which will become excessive beyond 14 million by 2040. Demand for lithium-ion batteries in India is predicted to reach 54 gigawatt hours (GWh) for FY 2027. Expired batteries from consumer electronics, telecom towers, and backup power systems, for example, are even now reaching the end-of-life cycle, and the first generation of EV batteries will be in that stream in just 12 to 24 months. Experts forewarn that, similar to plastic and e-waste, India now requires management for a huge waste surge in batteries to promote environmental and resource security.
NavPrakriti’s new facility is well-positioned near Kolkata and will be serving West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh, and it is expected that it will function as a destination for responsible battery disposal and critical mineral recovery for these inadequately served regions. The plant utilizes advanced and locally developed technology from the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET) and aligns clearly with the topics on domestic manufacturing.
Akhilesh Bagaria, founder of NavPrakriti, stated, “Prime Minister Modi’s focus on the circular economy and sustainable technology has inspired a new wave of innovation in India. Our facility is a testament to the potential of indigenous solutions and local entrepreneurship. We are proud to be the first in Eastern India to support both government policy and the urgent need to address battery waste. With the right support, we can turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s resource, powering India’s green future.”
The facility is currently processing 1,000 tonnes of batteries a month with mechanical pre-treatment, with the potential to process up to 2,000 tonnes as demand increases. NavPrakriti is focused on aluminum and copper recovery while exporting intermediaries with nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium. In the not too distant future, they plan to broaden the possibility of battery-grade chemical recovery and refurbished batteries for secondary use applications in low-power residential and industrial uses, thereby extracting maximum value from every battery.
This launch has coincided with government initiatives and programs, including a ₹1,500 crore scheme, recently announced under the National Critical Mineral Mission for battery recycling and refining. The objective of this scheme is to develop a strong domestic recycling infrastructure while reducing India’s reliance on external critical mineral sources, as well as underpinning safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly processing for used batteries.
NavPrakriti is actively working with battery manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and bulk battery users to facilitate collection and recycling partnerships within the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, which provides a reliable supply of feedstock and complies with the Battery Waste Management Rules 2022.
With the projected global battery recycling market expected to exceed $30 billion by 2030, India has a great opportunity to stake an impactful claim. NavPrakriti Green Energies Pvt Ltd has over 50 engineers, chemists, and business professionals who stand ready to help facilitate a sustainable and circular battery waste management process and further the position of the country’s
Electrify your feed! Click here to join our Whatsapp group and to get the latest updates, expert insights, and innovations driving India’s energy storage revolution.
