SVOLT to build another battery cell factory in Germany
Chinese battery manufacturer, SVOLT Energy Technology, says that it will build another battery cell factory for the European market in Lauchhammer in the German state of Brandenburg.
Back in late 2020, the Chinese company announced its intention to invest up to EUR 2 billion in two production sites in the German state of Saarland with the plants located in Überherrn and Heusweiler. Lauchhammer in Brandenburg is the second announced SVOLT production site for battery cells in Germany.
The Lauchhammer site is available at short notice as a so-called brownfield project. Vestas, a manufacturer of wind turbines, had only recently ceased production of rotor blades there. SVOLT has taken over the plant including buildings and infrastructure from the previous owner at the end of August, the company discloses in a press release.
For the planned battery cell factory, the majority of the existing halls will be repurposed. However, due to specific requirements of the battery manufacturer, rebuilding measures and extension works are also necessary – something that the company plans to realise in the near future. Currently, SVOLT is developing a master plan for the project including a detailed schedule as well as the necessary rebuilding, modernisation and extension measures.
The company says that the battery cells produced in Lauchhammer will be further processed for the use in electric vehicles, including at the future SVOLT site in Heusweiler, Saarland – which is also currently being set up.
“The additional production site in Germany is an important milestone for the further expansion of SVOLT – in Europe, but also globally. I am looking forward to our planned battery factory contributing to the further expansion of sustainable electromobility in Europe. Both in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region, we see a strong increase in demand for battery systems. The shift towards electromobility, but also government decisions, are driving demand for electric vehicles. SVOLT is responding to this market dynamic with steady expansion by building additional local capacities,” says Hongxin Yang, Chairman & CEO SVOLT Energy Technology in the press release.
