Comstock Metals receives permit to expand material storage at solar recycling facility

Comstock Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Comstock Metals, has received unanimous approval for a conditional use permit (CUP) from the Lyon County, Nevada, Board of County Commissioners to expand material storage of solar panels on leased property in the immediate vicinity of the company's first planned industrial-scale facility in Silver Springs, Nevada. This permit enables expanded storage for major utility and solar industry customers and provides sufficient buffer for the logistics associated with Comstock Metals’ recycling facility.

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The new storage capacity enables the company to efficiently manage and process large quantities of end-of-life solar panels and delivers a closed-loop, zero-landfill solution, according to the company.

"Once we demonstrated our ability to recycle and reuse 100 percent of the recycled materials and received accredited third-party auditor certification of this unique capability, major utilities began signing master service agreements for our services,” says Corrado De Gasperis, executive chairman and CEO of Comstock Inc. “The market demand has been robust, and we needed to rapidly expand storage to accommodate our customers and our commitment to keeping these materials out of landfills. We are thankful to Lyon County’s expedience in enabling this local and regional Nevada-based solution.”

The Silver Springs facility is located strategically to serve the rapidly expanding solar industry in the western United States, the company says.

"Our first industry-scale facility, targeting 100,000 tons per year of waste solar panel processing capacity, is in the latter stages of permitting and still expected during the fourth quarter of this year, so we can commence commissioning in the first quarter of 2026,” Fortunato Villamagna, president of Comstock Metals, says. “We will begin ordering equipment this summer.

“With the acceleration of large-scale customers’ acquisitions for high-volume, longer-term commitments, we needed expanded storage capability for our first planned industry-scale site. This permit strongly achieves that objective.”

Comstock Metals says it has demonstrated panel processing with proprietary thermal methods, producing 100 percent commodity-ready products. All parts of the panel, including glass, aluminum and fines, are recycled, with Comstock’s demonstration line at its facility having operated for well over one year.