MILAN - Papers filed by Glencore to support its plans to develop an EV battery recycling hub on the Italian island of Sardinia are not sufficient to assess the plant's impact on the environment, a document issued by the regional government showed.
The risks stemming from the raw materials to be treated at the plant need to be addressed, the document said.
The Swiss miner said in May that it wanted to develop a recycling hub for electric vehicle (EV) batteries with Canada's Li-Cycle and filed a request for approval for a pilot plant to be based on Sardinia.
Sardinia's government last month rejected the request for a fast-track approval process, prompting Glencore to say the two groups might look at alternative locations outside Italy.
In a document relating to the decision to reject a fast-track process, Sardinia's councillor for environmental protection said the region needed to investigate further several aspects of the project through an extensive environmental impact analysis.
"It is not possible to rule out negative and significant impacts on the environment linked to the project under review," Sardinia's councillor said citing a preliminary assessment by the region on the project.
Under Italian law, a complete review of the project's environmental impact can take up to six months but terms may potentially be extended as the administration and the companies continue to work on the authorisations needed.
"Fast-track procedures are only allowed on matters deemed as urgent, otherwise the regular path would be followed," said Aurelio Angelini, an independent expert in administrative procedures concerning environmental impacts.