Companies invest in EV battery factories in Europe
Adds detail throughout
Nov 22 (Reuters) -Northvolt, the Swedish maker of battery cells for electric vehicles, on Thursday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S., in a blow to European hopes of building a home-grown EV battery industry to compete with China.
Europe has been seeking to attract EV battery makers to build factories in the region - home to carmakers such as Volkswagen and Stellantis - as it tries to cut dependency on Asia and win a green subsidies race with the United States.
Production plans, however, have faced bureaucratic hurdles, production problems and slower EV demand than expected.
In 2024, Europe's battery pipeline capacity out to 2030 has fallen by 176 gigawatt-hours, according to data firm Benchmark Minerals. That's equivalent to almost all the current installed capacity in Europe, Reuters calculations show.
Below is an overview, including by country listing, of those operating and those planned:
OPERATING
Britain
* SUNDERLAND: A plant by Nissan 7201.T-backed AESC, operational since 2012, has a production capacity of 1.8 GWh.
Czech Republic
* HORNI SUCHA: Czech battery maker Magna Energy Storage (MES) targets output of 15 GWh at a plant worth 1.4 billion Czech crowns ($63 million). It opened in September 2020 with initial capacity of 200 MWh.
France
* DOUVRIN: The Automotive Cells Company (ACC) plant was inaugurated in May 2023 with operations starting in the second half of the year.
ACC is a JV of Stellantis STLAM.MI, STLAM.PA, Mercedes Benz MBGn.DE and TotalEnergies TTEF.PA.
In March, ACC and Bouygues' BOUY.PA energy arm Equans signed a deal to double the plant's capacity of 13 GWh by 2026.
* QUIMPER: Bolloré Group BOLL.PA-owned Blue Solutions' factory in Ergue-Gaberic was inaugurated in 2013. The company's website says its two factories in France and Canada have combined capacity of 1.5 GWh. It was not clear how much of this was in France.
Germany
* GRUENHEIDE: Tesla TSLA.O is seeking approval from the German government to double the capacity of its 5 billion euro ($5.2 billion) battery plant near Berlin from its current 50 GWh.
* ERFURT: China's CATL 300750.SZ is ramping up capacity of its plant to 14 GWh from 8 GWh.
* LUDWIGSFELDE: Microvast's MVST.O plant has a capacity of 1.5 GWh and targets up to 6 GWh.
Hungary
* GOED: Samsung's 1.2 billion euro factory with 30 GWh capacity started production in 2018.
Italy
* TEVEROLA: Seri Industrial's SERK.MI FAAM started operations at its 570 million euro plant in 2024, with an initial installed capacity of 0.35 GWh and a targeted capacity of 8 GWh.
Norway
* ARENDAL: Battery start-up Morrow opened its 470 million euro plant in August 2024 with a targeted capacity of 32 GWh. However, its CEO Lars Christian Bacher told Reuters it would take years before it would qualify for selling batteries to an automotive company.
Poland
* WROCLAW: LG Energy Solution's 051910.KS plant started production in 2017 with a capacity of 100,000 batteries and a target of 115 GWh by 2025.
Serbia
* SUBOTICA: ElevenES opened its LFP battery cell facility in April 2024 aiming for output of 48 GWh by 2027. The planned investment is 1 billion euros.
Sweden
* SKELLEFTEA: Northvolt's factory started production in late 2021. The group in September 2024 suspended plans to expand the plant due to production problems, sluggish demand and competition from China, and now only makes battery cells.
It has an installed capacity of 16 GWh, but is not operating at that level. The company has missed some in-house targets and has curtailed production at the plant, Reuters reported on Nov. 18.
PLANNED
Belgium
* SENEFFE-MANAGE: Avesta Battery and Energy Engineering expects its 40 million euro plant to be fully operational by 2030, with a capacity of 3 GWh.
Britain
* SOMERSET: India's Tata Group TAMO.NS will build a 4 billion pound ($5.01 billion) gigafactory to supply its Jaguar Land Rover factories. The plant will have initial output of 40 GWh, with production starting in 2026.
Europe
* Stellantis STLAM.MI aims to build a plant to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in Europe as part of a planned joint venture with Chinese EV battery giant CATL.
Finland
* KOTKA: Finnish Minerals Group has signed a deal with a potential partner for a cell production plant. After an environmental impact assessment for the facility was completed in October, the firm said it expects production to start in 2026.
France
* DOUAI: China's Envision is investing up to 2 billion euros in an AESC gigafactory near the "Renault ElectriCity" EV hub. The plant, for which the group plans initial capacity of 9 GWh, is set to start operations in 2026.
* DUNKIRK: Taiwan's ProLogium is working to secure government subsidies for a 5.2 billion euro factory. Production is scheduled to begin in 2026, with targeted capacity of 48 GWh.
* DUNKIRK: French start-up Verkor said in May it had secured more than 1.3 billion euros in financing for a factory in Dunkirk it is building with targeted capacity of 12 GWh. Renault RENA.PA will be its biggest client.
* HAUTS-DE-FRANCE: Stellantis-backed Tiamat Energy plans to raise 150 million euros to build a 5 GWh gigafactory for sodium-ion battery cells by 2029.
Germany
* HEIDE: In March, Northvolt began building its plant after getting 902 million euros in German government subsidies. It plans to invest 3 billion-5 billion euros in the plant.
* SALZGITTER: Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE plans to build six plants in Europe totaling 240 GWh by 2030. Production at the first plant will start in 2025 with targeted capacity of 20 GWh.
Hungary
* DEBRECEN: CATL is building a 7.3 billion euro plant targeting capacity of 100 GWh. It started construction in 2022 and aims to start production in two to three years.
* DEBRECEN: China's EVE Power will spend 1 billion euros to build a 28 GWh plant, Hungary's foreign minister said in May 2023.
Norway
* TRONDHEIM: Elinor invested 10 billion Norwegian crowns ($935 million) in a plant set to start operations by 2026 and with capacity of about 40 GWh by 2030. The firm entered a partnership with China's Morlus Technology in August to invest in battery production.
Portugal
* SINES: China's CALB expects its factory to start operating by end-2025 at 15 GWh, rising to 45 GWh in 2028.
Serbia
* CUPRIJA: Slovak startup InoBat plans to build a gigafactory with government funding of 419 million euros. It will be operational by 2025, with an initial capacity of 4 GWh and a target of 32 GWh.
Slovakia
* SURANY: Inobat and China's Gotion High Tech 002074.SZ plans to build an EV battery factory in Europe by 2026 with initial output of 20 GWh.
Spain
* BASQUE COUNTRY: BASQUEVOLT plans to invest more than 700 million euros in a plant targeting capacity of 10 GWh by 2027.
* NAVALMORAL DE LA MATA: Spain signed a deal with Envision to build a 2.5 billion euro plant with capacity of 30 GWh.
* SAGUNTO: Volkswagen and partners said in 2022 they would invest 10 billion euros in a 40 GWh plant, with production starting by 2026.
* VALLADOLID: InoBat signed a deal with the Spanish government to set up a 32 GWh factory worth 3 billion euros.
Switzerland
* FRAUENFELD: Swiss Clean Battery (SCB) expects its plant worth 775 million Swiss francs ($880 million) to be fully operational by 2030, with a target of 7.6 GWh.
CANCELLED, POSTPONED OR AWAITING PERMITS
* In June, ACC paused work on factories in Germany and Italy as it switches to lower-cost batteries amid slowing demand for EVs. It had planned to spend over 7 billion euros on three gigafactories in Europe with 40 GWh capacity each by 2030.
Britain
* COVENTRY: The West Midlands Gigafactory public-private joint venture said in October 2023 it was in advanced talks with several Asian battery makers about investment at the site, following Coventry's approval for a potential plant. The JV said in October it received a 14.5-million-pound funding package to start planning infrastructure works.
* SUNDERLAND: Envision is planning to build a factory near Nissan's 7201.T plant, with production capacity of 12 GWh. The project is awaiting regulatory approval.
Finland
* China's Svolt shortlisted Finland among other countries as a potential location for a battery cell factory with a capacity of about 50 GWh, but said in October it had abandoned plans for production in Europe.
Germany
* TUBINGEN: Porsche PSHG_p.DE said in July 2023 it was seeking investors to launch its Cellforce 100 MWh plant, but provided no further communication about the project.
Italy
* SCARMAGNO, ROMANO CANAVESE: Pininfarina PNNI.MI-backed Italvolt indefinitely postponed plans for a 3.5 billion euro plant, several media reported. Reuters was not able to confirm this.
Norway
* MO I RANA: FREYR abandoned a plan to build a $1.7 billion plant, to focus its production on North America.
Sweden
* BORLANGE: Northvolt in September 2024 cancelled plans for what was meant to be a battery cell factory.
* GOTHENBURG: Northvolt planned on a plant set to start production by 2026, with a targeted capacity of 50 GWh.
Volvo Cars VOLCARb.ST is seeking to take over Northvolt's stake in their NOVO JV, but will need a new partner to keep plans for a gigafactory on track, the Chinese-owned automaker said in September.
($1 = 0.9598 euros)
($1 = 0.7987 pounds)
FACTBOX-What's in the EU's green industrial plan? nL8N35N6NN
Europe's downsized gigafactory network https://reut.rs/4fpIpvZ
Europe's downsized gigafactory network https://reut.rs/4eyoSbB
Compiled by Alessandro Parodi, Tiago Brandao and Matteo Allievi; editing by Milla Nissi, Jan Harvey and Jason Neely
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