Batteries

Castilla y León Grants Integrated Environmental Authorisation for Ilunion LFP Battery Recycling Plant in Boecillo

Castilla y León has granted integrated environmental authorisation for Ilunion Batteries’ LFP battery recycling plant in Boecillo, setting detailed conditions on air emissions, waste and wastewater management, BAT implementation and environmental monitoring, with up to five years to start operations. This permit both enables large-scale LFP battery recycling capacity in Spain and locks the operator into stringent IPPC, waste and EU battery-regulation obligations, so Ilunion and related value-chain partners must plan for ongoing compliance investment, reporting and potential inspections over the plant’s lifecycle.

15 May 2026, 13:30bocyl.jcyl.esSpain

US PHMSA Invites Comment on Special Permit 22282-N for Non-DOT Packaging of End-of-Life Lithium Batteries

US PHMSA has opened a Federal Register comment period on Cirba Solutions’ Application No. 22282-N, seeking a hazardous materials special permit to use non-DOT specification packaging when shipping end-of-life lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries (including those in equipment) for recycling and related purposes. If granted, this permit could change how battery recyclers and logistics providers package and transport end-of-life lithium batteries across road, rail, sea, and passenger air, with implications for hazardous materials compliance, reverse logistics design, and recycling capacity planning.

15 May 2026, 13:28federalregister.govUnited States

Castilla y León Grants Integrated Environmental Authorisation for Ilunion LFP Battery Recycling Plant (Boecillo, Valladolid)

Castilla y León has granted an integrated environmental authorisation for Ilunion Batteries to build and operate a large LFP lithium-ion battery recycling plant in Boecillo, Valladolid, with detailed limits on capacity, emissions, wastes, monitoring and start-up timing. This permit creates a new regional hub for LFP battery recycling under the EU Industrial Emissions and Batteries frameworks, signalling rising regulatory expectations on closed-loop recovery, hazardous-waste control and BAT-level environmental performance for lithium battery value chains.

15 May 2026, 13:26bocyl.jcyl.esSpain

New York Assembly Bill A11362 Proposes Fire-Protection Requirements for Retail Lithium-Ion Battery Premises

In May 2026, the New York Assembly introduced Bill A11362 to require specific fire-protection and battery-storage measures at retail and storage premises handling lithium-ion batteries and related micromobility devices. If enacted, retailers and storage operators would have a one-year transition to upgrade fire suppression, monitoring, and storage infrastructure, materially tightening operational risk controls around e-bike and lithium-ion battery fires.

15 May 2026, 13:26assembly.state.ny.usUnited States

Castilla y León Grants Environmental Authorisation for Ilunion Batteries LFP Recycling Plant in Boecillo

Castilla y León has issued an integrated environmental authorisation for Ilunion Batteries’ new LFP battery recycling plant in Boecillo, setting detailed conditions for emissions, waste management, water and soil protection, and monitoring. This permit confirms the project can proceed but imposes stringent IPPC, hazardous-waste and battery-regulation compliance obligations, so plant design, reporting systems and financial guarantees must align with the five-year start-up window and ongoing control requirements.

15 May 2026, 12:44bocyl.jcyl.esSpain

EU Council Presidency Proposes Amendments to Batteries Regulation on Producer Scope, QR Codes and SVHC Disclosure

The EU Council presidency has tabled a compromise text to amend the Batteries Regulation, widening the producer definition, aligning SVHC disclosure with REACH/CLP, and mandating QR‑coded battery passports and LMT battery removability from 18 February 2027. If agreed, these changes will clarify who is legally responsible for battery labelling and digital passports, expand data on SVHCs and critical raw materials, and increase design and information‑management demands for battery and equipment manufacturers and importers.

15 May 2026, 12:20data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council Presidency Compromise on Amendments to Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation (EU) 2024/1244

The Council Presidency has tabled a compromise proposal to amend the EU Batteries Regulation and the Industrial Emissions Portal Regulation, tightening how SVHC content and recovered metals are labelled and reported while simplifying certain design and reporting requirements. If adopted, battery manufacturers and importers will need to support module-level removability and QR-code battery passports by 18 February 2027, while livestock and aquaculture operators could see reduced reporting obligations as authorities assume more of the environmental data-collection burden.

15 May 2026, 12:05data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

Colorado Legislature Passes Bill to Extend Battery Stewardship Act to Electric Vehicle Propulsion Batteries (SB26-003)

Colorado lawmakers have passed SB26-003, a bill extending the state’s Battery Stewardship Act to cover end-of-life management of electric vehicle propulsion batteries, with Senate concurrence on House amendments on 13 May 2026. If signed, this will impose registration, education, labelling, collection, reporting and fee obligations on EV battery and vehicle suppliers from 2027 onward and effectively ban landfilling of propulsion batteries from late 2028, requiring OEMs and supply chains to plan compliant take-back and recycling systems in Colorado.

15 May 2026, 12:02leg.colorado.govUnited States

Maine Enacts Battery EPR Law (LD 474) for Primary and Rechargeable Batteries

In April 2026 Maine enacted Public Law 2026, Chapter 608 (LD 474), creating a statewide extended producer responsibility program for primary and rechargeable batteries and battery-containing products. Producers and retailers will need to join an approved stewardship program, fund statewide collection and reporting systems, and plan for staged obligations on participation, embedded batteries and marking from 2027 through 2031 to maintain market access in Maine.

15 May 2026, 09:00mainelegislature.orgUnited States

California Senate Schedules Hearing on SB 1282 Grid-Integrated Vehicle Standards Bill

California’s SB 1282 (Battery Integration and Grid Reliability Act) remains in the Senate Appropriations Committee with a hearing set for 14 May 2026 on proposed grid-integrated vehicle and charging standards. If enacted, the bill would push the California Energy Commission to define by 2029 how new vehicles sold in the state must support vehicle-to-grid and managed-charging functions, creating medium-term design and data obligations for EV manufacturers and charging technology providers.

14 May 2026, 12:30leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Brazil Adopts Act No. 5314 Setting Technical Requirements for Stationary Lithium Batteries

Brazil has notified Act No. 5314 of 14 April 2026 establishing technical requirements and test procedures for conformity assessment of stationary lithium batteries. This will tighten and standardise conformity assessment for stationary energy-storage batteries in Brazil, so manufacturers and importers should expect updated testing and certification obligations and plan for possible design or documentation changes once the full text and timelines are available.

14 May 2026, 09:24docs.wto.orgBrazil

EU Commission Continues Assessing Common Battery Standards for Cordless Power Tools After Petitions

In April 2026 the European Commission told the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee that it is still assessing whether to pursue common battery and charger standards for cordless power tools and other battery-operated products, following petitions calling for interoperable systems to cut electronic waste. This indicates a potential future move to bring cordless power tools into the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation work plan, so tool and battery manufacturers should monitor upcoming ecodesign and standardisation work for possible design and interoperability obligations.

14 May 2026, 05:57europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

US House Introduces Better Energy Storage and Safety Act (H.R. 8706)

In May 2026, a US House bill (Better Energy Storage and Safety Act, H.R. 8706) was introduced to amend the Energy Act of 2020 and strengthen federal programmes on energy storage system safety, testing, demonstrations, and funding. If enacted, it would direct DOE, NIST and the US Fire Administration to expand safety-focused R&D, standardised testing protocols and stress-testing projects for grid-scale and residential energy storage technologies, signalling tighter future safety expectations for battery and storage system suppliers and operators.

13 May 2026, 19:12govinfo.govUnited States

US PHMSA Issues Notice of Actions on Hazardous Materials Special Permits

PHMSA has published a Federal Register notice detailing recent grants, denials, and withdrawals of hazardous materials transport special permits, with comments due by 11 June 2026. The decisions signal where regulators are prepared to relax or reinforce HMR requirements—especially around lithium batteries, explosives and specialty packaging—so affected operators should verify their permits and adjust shipping plans accordingly.

13 May 2026, 18:56govinfo.govUnited States

US House Introduces Shifting Forward Vehicle Technologies Research and Development Act (H.R. 8560)

In April 2026, the US House introduced H.R. 8560 to authorise a major Department of Energy programme for advanced vehicle technologies spanning electrification, batteries, hydrogen and alternative fuels, safety, infrastructure and mobility systems research. If enacted, this long-term funding package through 2031 would accelerate EV and non-road decarbonisation R&D, shaping future safety standards, technology choices and supply chains for batteries, critical materials and low-carbon transport solutions.

13 May 2026, 11:57govinfo.govUnited States

Colorado House Advances SB26-003 on EV Battery End-Of-Life Management

Colorado lawmakers advanced SB26-003, with the House passing an amended version on second reading, to expand the state’s Battery Stewardship Act to cover end-of-life management of electric vehicle propulsion batteries and introduce a series of registration, labelling, collection and reporting duties from 2027 onward. If enacted, the law would create a dedicated producer-responsibility regime for EV batteries in Colorado, including a landfill disposal ban from late 2028, raising compliance expectations for automotive OEMs, importers, fleets and recyclers and signalling tighter lifecycle controls on high-voltage battery systems.

12 May 2026, 18:53leg.colorado.govUnited States

South Korea National Assembly Passes Six Climate‑Energy‑Environment Bills on Drought, Wildlife and Circular Economy

On 7 May 2026, South Korea's National Assembly passed six major climate, energy and environment amendment bills strengthening state powers on water reuse, wildlife protection, resource circulation, vehicle emissions management and support for environmental industries. These coordinated changes will tighten obligations and incentives for utilities, local governments, electronics and automotive retailers, industrial operators and environmental service providers, requiring early planning for new infrastructure, circular-economy investments and compliance systems ahead of staged entry into force from promulgation and July 2027.

12 May 2026, 18:27korea.krSouth Korea

Environment Agency Updates Waste Batteries Guidance On England Charging Scheme 2018

On 11 May 2026 the Environment Agency updated its GOV.UK guidance for waste battery producers to direct users to the Waste (Miscellaneous) (England) Charging Scheme 2018 for current charges in England. This does not create new fees, but it reinforces that producers and battery compliance schemes must rely on the consolidated, CPI-indexed charging scheme when budgeting and ensuring correct payments, while other UK nations’ charges remain managed by their own regulators.

12 May 2026, 18:14gov.ukUnited Kingdom

US PHMSA Invites Comments on New Hazardous Materials Special Permit Applications

PHMSA has published a Federal Register notice listing new hazardous materials special permit applications, many involving lithium-ion batteries and rail operations, and is accepting public comments until 11 June 2026. These applications could prefigure future regulatory expectations for damaged and prototype batteries, alternative packaging, and electronic train consist management, so affected shippers, carriers, and recyclers should review and engage.

12 May 2026, 15:32federalregister.govUnited States

California AB 2549: E‑Waste Manufacturer Notice Bill Placed on Appropriations Suspense File

California bill AB 2549, which tightens e‑waste manufacturer notice and fee‑reporting rules for battery‑embedded electronics, has advanced in the Assembly and was placed on the Appropriations Committee suspense file on 06 May 2026. If enacted, manufacturers and marketplace facilitators selling into California will need to deliver UPC‑based product fee data to CalRecycle and rely on new online notice forms and a public database by early 2027, increasing compliance and systems requirements for covered products.

12 May 2026, 15:13leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States