Over one billion PLN in government grant awarded to the Elemental Group
The Elemental Group is receiving a government grant worth 1.038 billion PLN under the program TCTF (Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework) for the implementation of the project Polvolt in Zawiercie, the largest strategic metals production hub in this part of the world. This is one of the key projects for the raw materials security in the European Union and Poland in terms of production critical metals.
Ministry of Economic Development and Technology signed with Elemental Battery Metals, part of the Elemental Group, an agreement awarding the grant of 1.038 billion PLN (about USD 300 million) for the Polvolt project. As part of this project, in Zawiercie will be built a plant producing metals of key importance to the Polish and European economy: copper, silver and gold, as well as battery metals refinery: lithium, cobalt, nickel. Metals used in strategic industries, including energy, arms, automotive and telecommunications industries, will be recovered in Zawiercie. Elemental Battery Metals investment is one of two Polish projects included in the EU strategic projects list under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). The Polish plant in Zawiercie will recover critical metals from materials obtained in 100 facilities of the Elemental Group in 35 countries.
According to Paweł Jarski, Founder and CEO, Elemental Group:
The grant for the implementation of the investment in Zawiercie is a strategic action taken by the government to increase Poland’s security in the area of strategic metals. We recover 9 strategic metals in our plants: cobalt, nickel, lithium, copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, and rhodium. It is worth emphasizing that the potential of the plant operating since last year in Zawiercie is 12,000 tons of batteries and 6,000 tons of catalysts recycled per year. As the Elemental Group, we process over 40,000 tons of PCBs and over 110,000 tons of electronic waste annually. The technology and organization behind processing these materials constitute a core competence of our economy.
Over the next 7 years, a total of approximately USD 1 billion will be invested in Zawiercie. The Polvolt project is the largest investment carried out by a private entity in Poland’s strategic sector.
The industrial complex in Zawiercie aligns with the idea of a circular economy. Strategic metals recovered by the Elemental Group are 100% recycled, full-value, and produced sustainably, with respect for the natural environment.
Maciej Dudzic, President of the Management Board, Elemental Battery Metals:
Polvolt project is another investment by the Elemental Group in Zawiercie, Poland. This investment is a response to the needs of the Polish and European markets for critical raw materials. At the same time, it proves how important role Poland can play in the economy of strategic raw materials.
Sourcing critical raw materials is crucial from the perspective of the economy, which increasingly depends on them due to their growing use in production. Consequently, urban mining is becoming essential to ensure the continuity of operations across many industries. Urban mining is a branch of industry through which precious and base metals, including critical metals, are obtained from used equipment, production waste, and scrap. The high concentration of metals and elements contained in them and the lower economic, social and ecological cost of their recovery compared to traditional mining make urban mining an indispensable part of today’s economy. At the same time, recovery of critical raw materials in this way significantly increases their resources which is especially important when natural resources are becoming increasingly difficult to access.
The sourcing and recovery of critical raw materials — including lithium, nickel, or copper — are today a pillar of Europe’s economic security[1]. In 2024, the European Union adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)[2],which sets targets for 2030 of at least 10% of consumption to come from EU extraction, 40% from processing, and 25% from recycling, as well as reducing dependence on single suppliers[3]. In March 2025, the European Commission identified 47 strategic investments with a total value of EUR 22.5 billion[4], and Polvolt in Zawiercie was among them.
[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2024/766253/EPRS_BRI(2024)766253_EN.pdf
[2] https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials/critical-raw-materials-act_en
[3] https://www.gov.pl/web/klimat/ue-dazy-do-zapewnienia-stabilnych-i-zrownowazonych-dostaw-surowcow-krytycznych-otwarcie-naboru-wnioskow-dot-projektow-strategicznych-dla-ue
[4] https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials/strategic-projects-under-crma/selected-projects_en
