The UAE's first used battery recyling centre will soon be built in Ras Al Khaimah that will recover more than half of scrap generated in the country.

Royal Gulf Industries has announced that it will invest AED62.4 million ($17 million) to build the state-of-the art facility on a 110,000-square-foot area in Al Ghail Industrial Zone.

The centre will generate jobs for 150 individuals and is slated to start operation in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to a statement.

The company is a subsidiary of Hyderabad Castings Limited and part of Nakhat Group. It looks to recycle up to 35,000 metric tonnes of used lead acid batteries every year and produce 21,500 tonnes of lead ingots and 2,400 metric tonnes of plastic granules.

The materials will be largely exported to India, Japan, Korea, China and Europe and used for the manufacture of new lead acid batteries and cases.

"This activity accounts for recycling around 58% of the lead acid battery scrap generated in the UAE," the statement said.

According to Hanuman Mal Nakhat, chairman of Royal Gulf Industries, the plant will fully recycle battery waste "in an environment-friendly way".

"We aim to collect waste batteries not just from the UAE, but also import from around the world to make Ras Al Khaimah a hub for recycling," Mal Nakhat said.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Mily Chakrabarty)

cleofe.maceda@lseg.com