Ascend Elements has announced the opening of its electric vehicle battery recycling facility, the largest in North America.

Lithium-ion battery recycling is an important component of the EV revolution, making recycling plants more important than ever. Ascend Elements’ new facility — in Covington, Georgia — can recycle 30,000 metric tons of batteries and scrap annually, or roughly the equivalent of 70,000 EV batteries.

“This facility is an important part of America’s EV battery infrastructure, and this is just the start,” said Ascend Elements CEO Mike O’Kronley. “As an industry, we need to continue building our closed-loop battery materials supply chain to make electric vehicle batteries cleaner and more sustainable.”

Ascend Elements says its process can recover up to 90% of the critical metals in EV batteries and “reduce the carbon footprint of new electric vehicle battery cathode materials by up to 90%.”

The new facility is powered by renewable energy, has its own wastewater recycling and treatment system, and currently employs 100 people. The company plans to increase its workforce to 185 by 2024.