A manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries operating in North Georgia is reportedly agreeing to a settlement over a Commerce recycling center fire last year.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) is reporting that SK Battery America has come to a $31 million dollar settlement with Metro Site recycling center's operators after a fire at that facility destroyed a structure and left heavy damages in July of 2023.
The report indicates that investigators said Metro Site received lithium-ion battery scraps in a shipment of SK Battery's shipment of recyclables from that company's nearby factory. Metro Site is not permitted to handle batteries and did not realize it received the components.
The incident prompted an investigation by Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, resulting with an initial $33,000 fine against SK Battery, a subsidiary of Korean conglomerate SK Group, did not admit liability as part of the settlement with Metro Site but agreed to pay $20 million in punitive damages and $11 million in tort-related claims and damages to Metro Site, which has left Banks County's Fire and Emergency Services division to deal with four blazes at their location since 2020 that have reportedly been caused by battery scraps.
