CATL starts trial cell production in Debrecen
CATL began trial production on 22 September at the first cell building of its battery plant in Debrecen, Hungary. Two production lines are now running as the Chinese battery maker prepares for series production at what is planned to become its largest manufacturing base outside China, with a capacity of 100 GWh.
The trial phase is intended to set up, optimise and validate equipment and manufacturing processes ahead of series production, according to a press release from CATL. The company does not say when series production is expected to start.
The trial run follows a drawn-out permitting process. CATL received the occupancy permit for the cell building in August, after the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office had carried out regular on-site inspections. CATL says the inspections were to follow up on earlier issues that had caused "serious worries" among local residents, and that the authorities confirmed all deficiencies identified during the permitting process had been resolved. The press release does not say what the issues were. CATL says it will monitor health, safety and environmental factors during the trial phase and report the results to the authorities.
CATL announced the Debrecen plant, its second in Europe, in August 2022. Construction of the first cell building began in summer 2023, and the building had been fitted out by spring 2026. Module production has been under way at the site since autumn 2024, and 537,000 modules have been produced to date.
The plant is intended to supply European carmakers that have built up electric vehicle production in Hungary in recent years. CATL does not name any customers.
