This recommendation is the first step, and the application will now go to the Fernley city council for final consideration. The company said that the planning commission's recommendation to approve the CUP signals "continued progress" in permitting and constructing its lithium battery recycling pilot plant in Fernley, Nevada.

American Battery Technology Corp has three divisions: lithium-ion battery recycling, extraction technology and primary resources. The company recently announced the groundbreaking of its lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Fernley.

The company has built a clean technology platform that it said can increase production of primary metals used in the batteries that power electric cars, grid storage applications, consumer electronics and tools. It added that the green platform "creates a circular economy for battery metals that champions ethical and environmentally sustainable sourcing of critical materials".

The company is in the process of changing its name to American Battery Technology Company.

Menka Sethi, chief operating officer of American Battery Metals Corp, said: "The Fernley planning commission's approval of our conditional use permit is a critical path milestone in our work to build our first of kind lithium battery recycling pilot plant. The plant will bring well-paying jobs to the local community and provide an environmentally-friendly solution to increasing supply of battery metals in the United States."

The city of Fernley's CUP process is designed to ensure that the pilot plant will meet all requirements put in place through the city's comprehensive master plan to ensure "the public health, safety and general welfare by providing for special safeguards in the location and design of certain uses in certain zoning districts."

Chuck Leber, lead onsite project manager at American Battery Metals Corp, said: "Our design build team, led by Miles Construction, continues to prepare building permit applications as the conditional use permit process for our pilot plant moves ahead. City of Fernley's approval of the mass grading permit application we submitted will enable the Miles team to begin grading and sitework necessary to construct the pilot plant."