Livium targets AI and data centre battery recycling as Australia's data centre buildout surges

mining.com.au

by retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 points

Australian battery recycler Livium (ASX: LIT) is positioning itself to capture the growing stream of end-of-life backup batteries from AI and data centre facilities. Through its subsidiary Envirostream, the company is already talking to data centre operators about recycling large-format lithium-ion and lead-acid UPS batteries. Livium says tightening e-waste regulation and the need for auditable onshore recycling pathways will drive demand. Australia ranked second globally for data centre investment in 2024, with 44 facilities in the New South Wales pipeline alone representing 11.4 GW of planned capacity. Livium's Envirostream has EPA-licensed processing plants, national collection infrastructure, and a commercial model that combines disposal fees with downstream recovery of critical minerals. The company also holds a rare earth element extraction licence, which could align with future hardware decommissioning.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Interesting angle. Data centre backup batteries are a growing waste stream that nobody talks about much. Livium seems to have the infrastructure already in place.

eco_tracker_99·4 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions 11.4 GW of planned capacity in NSW alone. That is a lot of batteries that will need recycling eventually. Question is whether the economics work without subsidies.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

Does Livium have the actual capacity to handle that volume? The article says they have EPA-licenced facilities but does not give throughput numbers. Would be good to see the math.

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

Regulation is the key driver here. If e-waste rules get tighter, data centre operators will need certified recycling. That is where Livium's chain-of-custody pitch makes sense.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

The rare earth extraction licence is interesting. If they can pull rare earths from decommissioned hardware, that adds another revenue stream. But that is a medium-term play.