Hardin County Commissioners Court will conduct a public hearing at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 11, to consider a tax abatement for a recycling company near Silsbee. The meeting will be held at the Hardin County Courthouse in Kountze.
According to County Judge Wayne McDaniel, during the public hearing, the court will receive comments from Hardin County citizens and businesses on the consideration of a tax abatement agreement for ACE Green Recycling, located at 735 FM 92, Silsbee, on property taxes associated with personal property investments in machinery and equipment. The location, more than 50,000 square feet, is the site of the former Louisiana-Pacific mill.
After the public hearing, commissioners will consider a tax abatement agreement for the company at a future date.
The public hearing noted that ACE Green Recycling, which is considering the development of a battery recycling facility, has applied for the abatement and will lease land located within the existing 2024 Reinvestment Zone.
According to a letter emailed from ACE president and co-founder Dr. Vipin Tyagi to McDaniel, the proposed project would create about 70 full-time jobs in Phase 1 and more than 200 full-time jobs when the project is fully scaled up in 2027-2028. The jobs will be for persons in skilled trades, engineering and operations, and will help generate what the county judge said would be significant tax revenue for the county. The company will also reportedly invest $100 million in machinery.
ACE Green Recycling, Inc., incorporated in Delaware, is touted as an innovative battery recycling technology platform offering sustainable end-of-life solutions. It has deployed modular, Scope 1 emissions-free recycling plants for lithium and lead batteries used in various industries including electronics, automotive and energy storage, according to a company release of information.
The company was founded by Nishchay Chadha, who serves as its chief executive officer (CEO) and is a veteran in recycling, mining and global supply chain industries, and Tyagi, an accomplished scientist with extensive experience in battery materials recycling technology, who serves as chief technology officer.
According to the company’s website, ACE’s revolutionary battery recycling technology focuses on recovering critical battery materials from both lead and lithium-ion batteries.
“The company’s innovative and modular technologies are fully electrified, producing zero Scope 1 emissions, zero toxic water and zero solid waste. These capabilities position ACE as a provider of hydrometallurgical recycling solutions without any smelting or thermal processes for both lead and lithium batteries. ACE currently operates commercial facilities in India (lithium-ion; since 2023) that it owns and has licensed its technology to ACME Metal in Taiwan (lead; since 2024), with advanced plans to deploy its technology by building its own plant in the United States.
“The company has proven its technology’s commercial credentials by enabling processing of more than three million pounds of lead and lithium batteries in India and Taiwan,” the company shared.
In December 2024, ACE announced a merger with Athena Technology Acquisition Corp. II, a special-purpose acquisition company. Under the agreement, the Delaware-based company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Athena, allowing it to be publicly traded and positioning the combined entity to expand its innovative recycling solutions for lead and lithium-ion batteries.
ACE’s corporate headquarters are located in Houston, Singapore and Distt-Hapur in India.