Ground has been broken for a combined lead acid battery manufacturing plant and recycling facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Italian group Seri Industrial announced on March 22. The company behind the Dubai Industrial City project — Dubatt Battery Recycling — is a joint venture between Dubai-based Regency Group and Seashore Group. Dubatt is investing AED110 million (about $30 million) in the project. Meanwhile, Dubatt is discussing a potential technology partnership with Seri group company, Faam Italia, to also produce advanced lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles and other applications. The 154,000 square-feet recycling plant is to be operational by January 2023, while the advanced lead acid battery plant is set to start operating within the next two years. Regency Group corporate management chairman, Shamsudheen Bin Mohideen, said the battery plant would be commissioned over the next two years and would produce a “made in the UAE battery brand”. The battery plant will be built on a 70,000 square-feet site.