India’s lithium ion battery waste is projected to rise sharply this decade as electric vehicle adoption and stationary storage deployments scale, with industry estimates indicating end of life volumes will move from pilot scale to industrial scale well before 2030.
Against this backdrop, Epic Energy’s collaboration with REFNIC, operated by Zetrance Technology, reflects a growing shift from fragmented recycling pilots toward integrated recycling and second life battery platforms designed for throughput, compliance, and scalability.
The project will be executed through Epic Energy’s special purpose vehicle, Swachchha Urja Nirman LLP, and centers on two linked facilities. The first is a lithium ion battery shredding plant designed to process 500 kilograms per hour of material into black mass, the intermediate product that concentrates valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. The second is a second life battery assembly plant with an installed processing capacity of approximately 10 megawatt hours per month, targeting repurposing pathways for cells that retain sufficient performance for reuse.
The dual track approach addresses a structural inefficiency in many early recycling projects, which treat all incoming batteries as waste rather than a mixed stream of recoverable materials and reusable assets. In practice, a significant share of end of life batteries, particularly from mobility applications, retain usable capacity that can be redeployed into stationary storage or backup power systems. By integrating testing, sorting, and assembly into the same platform as shredding, the Epic Energy and REFNIC model aims to capture more value per unit of battery processed while reducing unnecessary material destruction.
Capacity figures provide a clearer sense of scale. A shredding rate of 500 kilograms per hour positions the facility beyond laboratory or demonstration scale and into early commercial operation, though it remains modest relative to the volumes that will be required nationally as EV penetration increases. Similarly, a second life assembly capacity of 10 megawatt hours per month suggests a focus on controlled, standardized reuse rather than mass market deployment, consistent with a cautious approach to safety, performance validation, and regulatory compliance.
Statements from SUN LLP and Epic Energy emphasize scientific handling of residues, process sludge, and recoverable materials, an area that has become increasingly scrutinized by regulators. Poorly managed recycling operations risk shifting environmental impacts rather than mitigating them, particularly through improper disposal of electrolytes and contaminated waste streams. By positioning environmental safeguards and low power consumption as design priorities, the collaboration implicitly responds to growing concerns over the true lifecycle footprint of battery recycling.
From a market perspective, the partnership also reflects uncertainty around how quickly India’s battery recycling ecosystem will consolidate. Epic Energy has signaled that the REFNIC platform is intended to be scalable across additional facilities as demand evolves, starting with the Wada site in Maharashtra. This suggests a modular expansion strategy rather than a single large centralized plant, aligning with India’s geographically dispersed EV adoption and logistics constraints.
The involvement of a dedicated technical partner for design, engineering, integration, installation, and commissioning highlights another trend in the sector. As recycling and second life operations become more complex, energy companies are increasingly relying on specialized technology providers rather than developing in house systems. REFNIC’s focus on operational stability and integrated process control reflects the need to move beyond manual or semi automated setups that struggle with consistency and safety at higher throughputs.
