Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) Names Ascend Elements Project Apex 2 Manufacturing Investment of the Year

Poland lands $320M clean battery tech investment to power EU's green shift

The Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) has named Ascend Elements' Project Apex 2 its Manufacturing Investment of the Year. This recognition is focused on Ascend Elements' development of the EU's first fully integrated battery materials refining center. The center will refine spent lithium-ion batteries into new, low-carbon cathode materials using Ascend Elements' patented Hydro-to-Cathode technology.

Key Details of the Project

• The Republic of Poland has granted Ascend Elements USD 320 million (approximately 1.22 billion PLN) to advance the construction of its first European pCAM and Lithium manufacturing facility.
• This investment is one of the largest grant offers ever made by Poland's Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.

Statements from Key Figures

Project Apex 2 is about more than a single facility; it is about proving that Europe can lead the world in a truly circular, low-carbon battery economy.

• Linh Austin, President and CEO of Ascend Elements

By bringing our Hydro-to-Cathode technology to Poland, we are turning spent batteries into new critical materials at industrial scale, strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy in key raw materials and helping set a global benchmark for sustainable battery manufacturing.

The most innovative companies in the global clean-technology and battery industries are choosing Poland as a location for their investments, and Ascend Elements is further proof of this trend.

• Paweł Pudłowski, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Polish Investment and Trade Agency

By locating an advanced circular battery materials project here, Ascend Elements is strengthening Poland's role in the European battery value chain, creating highly qualified jobs and supporting the EU's efforts to build secure, sustainable supply chains for critical raw materials.

Project Apex 2 is exactly the kind of strategic, high-value investment Poland needs to solidify its position at the heart of Europe's clean-energy economy.

• Michał Jaros, Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology

By combining advanced recycling with cutting-edge cathode materials production, Ascend Elements is helping us secure critical raw materials, create highly skilled jobs, and build a more resilient industrial base for Poland and the entire European Union.

About the Facility

Ascend Elements' Project Apex 2 will be an advanced manufacturing facility designed to refine separated key cathode raw materials recovered from spent lithium-ion batteries into lithium carbonate battery-grade materials and precursor cathode active material (pCAM). These products are essential for the production of cathode active material (CAM), a core component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and stationary energy storage systems.

The Project Apex 2 facility will commercialize Ascend Elements' Hydro-to-Cathode hydrometallurgical technology in Europe, producing sustainable lithium and pCAM materials from recycled battery materials and supporting the EU's long-term energy transition and net-zero goals. The investment will help create an integrated, low-emission supply chain for lithium-ion batteries inside the EU, reducing dependence on imported metals and cathode materials from high-risk markets. Project Apex 2 aligns with the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and circular-economy objectives, ensuring that strategic metals are recovered and processed within the European Union rather than exported as raw waste.