What the site does
Jebel Ali in Dubai is one of the world's busiest ports and free zones, linking the Gulf with South Asia, Africa and Europe. The logistics yard opened in Jebel Ali Free Zone South in 2023 to collect batteries from the fast-growing Gulf EV market, where taxi and ride-hailing fleets have been early adopters. Its catchment covers the UAE and neighbouring Gulf states, where EV adoption is rising quickly.
At 14,000 TPA, the yard consolidates packs and prepares them for onward processing, including permitted international shipment. High ambient temperatures accelerate battery degradation and raise safety risks, so the site uses cooled storage and schedules collections to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Custody records travel with every unit, and damaged packs are isolated immediately on arrival. Consolidated loads leave for processing once full.
What arrives at the gate
Feedstock at Dubai, UAE reflects its catchment and plant type. Every consignment is weighed, photographed and logged against the originating manifest before it enters the process area.
- Gulf fleet and dealer packs
- Taxi and ride-hailing retirements
- Commercial storage batteries
- Regional consolidated loads
The process, step by step
The 3 operating lines — hazmat transport staging, pack de-energising, module sorting & consolidation — run the sequence below.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Booking & manifest | Pickup is scheduled against an approved manifest listing chemistry, pack count, mass and damage status. |
| Packaging supply | UN 3480 / UN 3481 approved containers, vermiculite and Class 9 labelling are supplied free on registration. |
| Collection & transit | ADR-class vehicles with trained hazmat crews and GPS telemetry move consignments to the yard. |
| Weighbridge intake | Consignments are weighed, photographed and reconciled against the manifest within 24 hours of arrival. |
| De-energising & sorting | Packs are discharged to safe state of charge and sorted by chemistry and destination plant. |
| Onward dispatch | Sorted material is dispatched to the assigned grading or refining plant with a full chain-of-custody record. |
What sets the site apart
Global port access. Located inside Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Heat-managed storage. Climate-controlled storage for extreme temperatures.
Regional hub. Serves the UAE and wider Gulf markets.
Where material goes next
Material that Dubai, UAE does not finish on site moves to the nearest specialist facility in the network, keeping transport distances and dwell times down.
| Facility | Role | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Warsaw — Mazovia Grading Centre | Cell Grading & Diagnostics | 4,157 km |
| Zwickau — Saxony Second-Life Works | Second-Life BESS Works | 4,604 km |
| Lyon — Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Refinery | Hydrometallurgical Refinery | 5,003 km |
Field note