Gipuzkoa Continues Advancing as a Leading Region in Battery Recycling with a New Agreement between the Provincial Council and CIDETEC

The Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council is allocating €350,000 to equip CIDETEC’s “Naturklima” laboratory, dedicated to the characterization of materials derived from battery recycling.

This pioneering laboratory—unique in its field in both Spain and Europe—located in the Eskuzaitzeta industrial estate, will receive new scientific equipment.

José Ignacio Asensio: “Gipuzkoa brings together the knowledge and industrial fabric needed to consolidate a circular battery hub that enhances our competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and leadership in sustainability.”

The Department of Sustainability of the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, led by José Ignacio Asensio, and the CIDETEC Foundation, represented by its Director General, Francisco Javier Rodríguez, today signed a new collaboration agreement for the development of the “Naturklima” laboratory, specialized in the characterization of materials from battery recycling. The signing ceremony took place at CIDETEC’s facilities, where both parties visited the scientific equipment associated with the project.

This agreement continues the work started in 2024 with the Naturklima Foundation and represents a firm step forward in the Department of Sustainability’s strategy to further promote the circular economy. It is also part of the Department’s commitment to developing key infrastructure for a green, innovative, and locally rooted industry. With €350,000 in public funding, the laboratory—pioneering in Spain and Europe and unique in its field—will be equipped with new technologies at its location in the Eskuzaitzeta industrial estate (Donostia-San Sebastián).

The Provincial Deputy for Sustainability, José Ignacio Asensio, emphasized that “this agreement strengthens a strategic line of work that combines knowledge, industry, and innovation to address the climate challenge from Gipuzkoa.” He added, “Let’s not forget that Gipuzkoa is home to leading companies in electric mobility. We must ensure these companies decarbonize, and we will achieve that through public-private collaboration and projects like this one, which bolster our strategic autonomy and open new opportunities for our productive fabric.”

He also noted that “in addition to recycling—which will allow us to move forward with an industrial-scale recycling line—this laboratory will also develop a line focused on battery reuse, giving batteries a second life in projects such as energy communities, one of the key priorities of this legislative term.”

The laboratory will enable the development of innovative technologies for the analysis and reuse of valuable materials from electric vehicle batteries, thus contributing to the decarbonization of the mobility sector and the generation of new scientific and technical knowledge.

In the words of CIDETEC’s Director General, Francisco Javier Rodríguez, “this agreement reinforces our commitment to a more sustainable and high-value-added industry. The equipment at the ‘Naturklima’ laboratory will allow us to advance the knowledge and technologies necessary to close the battery life cycle—an essential challenge for the energy transition and the region’s competitiveness.”

The agreement also includes cooperation between both entities in the exploitation of results, incorporation of knowledge into public information systems, and promotion of technical, scientific, and institutional outreach activities. In short, it is a strategic alliance in service of a green industry, deeply rooted in the region and with a European outlook.