BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — A multi-million dollar lithium-ion battery upcycling center is officially coming to Bartlesville after the city council and Bartlesville Development Authority signed off on the deal on Tuesday.
The facility will be housed in Bartlesville's Industrial Center, off Highway 60. It used to be home to Keeco.
It was an easy choice for the city council and Bartlesville Development Authority.
Crews will take batteries that can no longer be used and process them into black sand - or shredded battery material - to be refined elsewhere. Fifty jobs are expected at first and will cap at 90.
Despite the potential for bringing in 90 high-paying jobs, some residents told 2 News they're concerned about the safety aspects that could happen at the plant when dealing with lithium-ion batteries.
Sharon Kinsch came to Bartlesville in the 70s during the Phillips 66 boom - and has some of those concerns.
"I hope we don't have the same experience they had in Tulsa," Kinsch said.
She's referring to the April 2021 incident when the Tulsa Recycle Transfer Facility had a fire due to contamination from a lithium-ion battery.
Blue Whale Materials co-founder David Fauvre says they've got plenty of safety experience.
"Our CTO built a plant based on this technology in Japan," Fauvre said. "It's gone through a commercial validation and demonstration. We know the process - the way it's designed - works."
Company staff said they plan to start operations late next year.
The Bartlesville Development Authority is funding up to $1 million in improvements to the facility they own. In addition, the BDA provides up to $750,000 in rent credits over the first 25 months for the first 50 full-time jobs the facility will initially bring.
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