“Strategically, we are endeavoring to position Li-Cycle as the premier and preferred recycler and supplier of critical battery materials, taking advantage of significant secular growth trends,” said CEO Ajay Kochhar in the company’s quarterly earnings statement.

Li-Cycle opened its recycling plant in Arizona in May, and operations at the Alabama plant are expected to begin later this year. In 2023, the company also plans to expand its U.S. recycling footprint with a new facility in Warren, Ohio, which will process scrap from the neighboring Ultium Cells battery cell manufacturing mega-factory.

Ladet’s update had previously announced the expected opening of its first two European facilities in Norway and Germany in the first half of 2023.

The recycling facilities, referred to as "spokes," are designed to recover end-of-life batteries to produce black mass—a powder-like substance containing lithium, cobalt, nickel, and other materials. This black mass will then be processed into usable battery-grade materials at Li-Cycle’s site in Rochester, New York, which is expected to open in late 2023.

“The Arizona Spoke is now online, doubling our capacity and further proof of our modular construction approach,” Kochhar said. “We are optimistic that this approach can be replicated and scaled at our future spokes.”

Li-Cycle reported a net loss of $20.7 million on revenue of $8.7 million in its fiscal second quarter, ending April 30. This compares to a net loss of $7.8 million on sales of $0.26 million in the same period a year earlier.