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1. ABRI EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS |
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Over the past few months, the ABRI Executive Committee has seen a number of changes. Ben Pritchard has resigned as ABRI President as he has left Ramcar to seek other recycling sector opportunities. Many thanks to Ben for driving initiatives to support battery recycling industry growth and contributing to the establishment of the Battery Stewardship Council.
The Executive Committee has welcomed the following new members on a temporary basis ahead of the AGM in early 2023. The new members reflect the growing and diversifying ABRI member base:
- Mr Nicholas Assef, Battery Pollution, who brings a wealth of corporate finance and strategy experience to the Committee. His practice focuses on engineering, mining services and associate technical services. He is the founder of both Halo Renewable Energy, a renewable energy player that is developing large scale solar farms in New South Wales and Battery Pollution a specialist recycling company focussing on the physical & scientific recycling of lithium battery waste materials.
- Ms Amy Wright, Nyrstar, an engineering leader with a 10-year metallurgical-operational and financial career working for Glencore Copper and Nyrstar. She is the Project Champion for Nyrstar’s accreditation with B-cycle and has developed the metal recycling arm of the Nyrstar Port Pirie business in close coordination with the Nyrstar Australian commercial team.
In other changes, Andrew McKenzie has stepped up to the position of President and Nicholas Assef has been appointed to the position of Vice President. Mario D’Alba, Ramcar, upon his return to Australia, is proposing to join the Executive Committee.
These changes are in place until the ABRI AGM in early 2023, when seven Executive Committee positions will become vacant, and all members will be invited to nominate to the Executive Committee.
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2. EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIC GOVT FIRE PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR BATTERY RECYCLING - 1-3PM, 7 DECEMBER |
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DEWLP is coordinating a presentation for ABRI members to set out the Victorian government fire prevention work program in battery recycling and the role of each government agency. This is in response to requests from ABRI requesting clarification around the role of each agency and an explanation as to how agencies coordinate their work programs. This is a great opportunity to hear from all four agencies on their work priorities and to ask questions.
The four agencies presenting on their work and interactions across government are:
- DEWLP – Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning
- FRV – Fire and Rescue Victoria
- EPA – Environment Protection Authority
- Worksafe Victoria
The presentation will be 1-3pm, Wednesday 7 December in a hybrid format – at DEWLP offices in central Melbourne and online. Further details and an agenda will be forthcoming. If you are interested in attending, please email requesting an invite.
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3. DEVELOPING A GUIDE TO THE NSW LITHIUM BATTERY RECYCLING REGULATORY FRAMEWORK - 30 NOVEMBER WORKSHOP |
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ABRI in conjunction with Sydney University and ABRI member Battery Pollution has been awarded a $50,000 grant to:
- map the existing regulatory framework that applies to lithium battery recycling in NSW
- identify regulatory overlaps, gaps and inefficiencies in the law, as well as opportunities to streamline the associated compliance processes
- co-design a risk-based regulatory framework that considers each phase of the end-of-life battery lifecycle for lithium batteries.
The project needs to be completed by 30 June and will build on the work done in early 2022 by Deakin Law school students.
A workshop to develop case studies to provide a framework for mapping the existing regulatory requirements will be hosted by Sydney University on 30 November, midday to 4pm. The proposed starting point for discussion on the case studies will be: large batteries, such as EVs and BESS; mixed batteries; and damaged batteries.
The workshop is being attended by NSW and Commonwealth government agencies, ABRI members and other interested stakeholders.
If you haven’t received an invitation and would like to participate in the workshop, please request a workshop invite from Katharine Hole, ABRI CEO.
Regular updates will be provided to ABRI members as the project progresses.
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4. JOIN OVER 25 ABRI MEMBERS AND STAKEHOLDERS TO INFORM ABRI PRIORITIES FOR 2023 - MELBOURNE 2-5PM, 17 NOVEMBER |
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Over 25 ABRI members and stakeholders from the research and government sector will be participating in the ABRI Festival of Ideas in Melbourne on 17 November (2-5pm). This is an afternoon of strategic planning followed by networking drinks. More details are available in the Festival of Ideas – Agenda. Please RSVP if you are attending and haven’t yet let the ABRI Secretariat know.
The Institute of Frontier Materials at Deakin University is hosting the event at their Deakin Downtown campus. The Festival of Ideas is a great opportunity for:
- Members to get together face-to-face to meet and discuss ABRI’s and the industry’s strategic direction and priorities
- The Executive Committee and the CEO to hear from you about your priorities for ABRI and how ABRI can support your organisation
The roundtable format facilitates member networking, sharing of ideas and identifying priorities to support business and industry development. The discussion is used to inform ABRI’s advocacy priorities and work plan.
There is no online option for this year’s Festival of Ideas. A separate online member forum will be scheduled to provide an opportunity for members to contribute to ABRI’s strategy discussion.
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5. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BECOMING A B-CYCLE DROP OFF POINT |
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Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) is hosting a webinar to go into the steps on how to become an accredited B-cycle Drop off point. This will include reviewing the requirements, forms and templates available to navigate the accreditation process.
To join this event, please email to register by 16th November.
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6. ELECTRIC VEHICLE – SAFE HANDLING AND FIRE RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PRESENTATION (29 NOVEMBER, ONLINE) |
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US National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) work on safe handling of hazardous voltage battery storage systems – Tuesday 29 November, 9-9.30am (AEST). Register in advance for this online meeting.
Safe Handling of Hazardous Voltage Battery Storage Systems project
NEMA is working on the development of a guide for the US market to:
- Identify safety issues such as arc flash when handling hazardous voltage battery packs
- Categorisation of electrical safety situations that are important to understand before proceeding with energized electrical work associated with automotive hazardous voltage batteries
- Cover direct and indirect hazards, shock and arc boundaries, hazard risk categories, and personal protective equipment; ensuring proper storage/isolation in battery packs; checking the current status of the battery
- Cover best practices for testing the state of health of battery systems and procedures for obtaining a permit to work on HV vehicles
About NEMA
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents more than 325 electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers that make safe, reliable, and efficient products and systems. The combined industries account for 370,000+ American jobs in more than 6,100 facilities covering every state. The industry produces $124 billion in shipments of electrical equipment and medical imaging technologies per year with $42 billion in exports.
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