Hartree Locks In Eight-Year Lithium Deal Worth Up to $1bn

Hartree Partners has signed an eight-year agreement to purchase and market recycled lithium carbonate from Bridge Green Upcycle in a deal worth between $500m and $1bn at current market prices.

The contract gives Hartree exclusive rights to market approximately 10,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of lithium carbonate across all grades from Bridge Green's facilities. The deal includes an option to extend for a further seven years, potentially stretching the arrangement to 15 years.

Alongside the supply agreement, Hartree has taken an equity stake in Bridge Green as part of the company's bridge financing round. The funding will support Bridge Green's planned expansion of its battery recycling and critical mineral refining operations.

Landon Berns, Hartree's head of battery and critical minerals, framed the deal as a strategic move. "Critical minerals are a key pillar of Hartree's growth strategy, and securing domestic supply and returning recovered materials to productive use are core parts of our approach," he said.

The agreement lands amid intensifying efforts by both private companies and the US government to build domestic supply chains for critical minerals. Washington now classifies lithium as a strategic commodity.

In February 2026, the US Government launched Project Vault, a proposed $12bn public-private Strategic Critical Minerals Reserve, and selected Hartree as a supplier. The new agreement with Bridge Green forms part of Hartree's plan to build its position in this area.

Regulatory pressure is reinforcing the trend. Last month, the US Department of Commerce enacted a one-year export ban on battery-recycling material, requiring that volumes be prioritised for US-based buyers.

Bridge Green founder and CEO Balki Iyer called the deal a turning point for the company. "This agreement marks a defining milestone and a significant step towards developing a circular supply chain for Bridge Green," he said.

"The scale and long term commitment by Hartree following a rigorous evaluation process, provides strong validation of our technology and business model. More importantly, this accelerates deployment to support the domestic need for critical minerals," Iyer added.

Bridge Green has already commissioned its Circularity Center India, which has a nameplate capacity of around 7,200tpa of lithium-ion battery input. The company's upcoming Series A funding round is expected to finance integrated refining facilities in both India and the US.

First volumes of lithium carbonate for Hartree are anticipated in 2028. The two-year gap gives Bridge Green time to scale its refining capacity — and gives Hartree a secured position in recycled critical minerals just as US policy tightens around who can buy them.