site.btaCEO of KCM 2000 Holding: Lead Can Play Important Role in Decarbonisation

The installation of more and more new renewable energy capacities increases the need for energy storage facilities. The most rapidly efficient solutions to this end can be achieved through battery-based energy storage systems. Not only lithium-ion but also lead-acid batteries can be used for this purpose - the same technology that is the basis of car batteries, said Ivan Dobrev, CEO of KCM 2000 Holding, a leading lead and zinc producer, in an interview with BTA.

Lead-acid batteries are inferior to lithium-ion batteries on several indicators - they cannot be used in passenger cars to provide power for moving around, but they can be extremely effective for many other needs during the energy transition, and more precisely in energy storage systems or backup power systems - the so-called UPS, in the transport of industrial machinery or platform vehicles.

Lead also has two major advantages over lithium as a battery base - the metal is abundant and there is no danger of third-party dependency. It can also be recycled and reused.

In Europe, the whole lead production system is very well developed, with an excellent regulatory framework covering the production, use and recycling of lead. Around 10 million tons of lead are produced or imported into the European market annually. Production is around 1.8 million tons, and over 80% of this comes from recycling old products, such as old batteries, which are 100% recycled without any problems. Lead recovery technologies date back millennia, and there have been lead batteries for over 100 years, and they enable lead to be reused countless times.

Lead can play a leading role in the energy transition and is a leader in energy storage technologies through the lead-acid battery.