A former UK Chief of Defence Staff has been appointed to advise Devon-based Altilium on defence and sovereign supply chains. The move comes as critical battery materials become a national security issue.
Air Chief Marshal The Lord Peach will help the Plymouth-based battery recycling firm position its technology as strategically relevant to UK national resilience.
The appointment reflects growing concern over the UK’s reliance on overseas supply chains for materials needed in defence, automotive and energy sectors.
Lord Peach, who also chaired NATO’s Military Committee, said: “The circular economy is vital to our national resilience. Within that, we need to develop – quickly – a sovereign materiel strategy to develop the capabilities we need for defence, national security and growth. Altilium is already part of that story.”
He will advise on engagement with government, defence organisations and other stakeholders.
Dr Christian Marston, chief operating officer of Altilium, said: “Critical minerals are no longer simply a question of industrial competitiveness or the energy transition. They are increasingly a national security issue. By building the capability to recover and refine these materials here in Britain, we can reduce exposure to global supply disruption while supporting a stronger and more sovereign industrial base.”
The company recovers lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite from end-of-life electric vehicle batteries and processes them for reuse in new cell production.
Altilium secured £18.5m in government grant funding earlier this year through the DRIVE35 programme to support development of its ACT 3 facility in Plymouth.
According to the company, the facility will be the UK’s first commercial refinery for recovery of critical battery materials from end-of-life EV batteries.
Its planned ACT 4 plant will have capacity to process scrap from over 150,000 EVs per year, producing 30,000 MT of cathode active material.
The UK Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy identifies critical minerals as essential to the economy and national security and highlights the need to strengthen domestic recycling capabilities.
Lord Peach is a Crossbench peer in the House of Lords and strategic adviser to a number of boards and advisory groups.
Altilium is backed by SQM Lithium Ventures, Marubeni Corporation and Mizuho Bank.
Ex-NATO Chief Appointed to Advise Devon Battery Recycler