Authorities in Germany gave a second partial approval this week for the commissioning of a new plant for battery cell production in the state of Thuringia.
The factory will be built by Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia, a local unit of the Chinese battery maker, which will be a significant milestone in the global expansion by its parent company, known as CATL.
Machines are now being installed in the plant, which will be Germany’s first battery factory, and the first battery cells will be made by the end of 2022.
Electric vehicles are gaining immense momentum, local officials said, and the state needs companies committed to taking conservation into account right from the production stage, state environment minister Anje Siegesmund said.
With the first batch of supplier companies moving into the area, they expect a ‘Battery Valley’ to emerge around the plant, as well as the creation of thousands of jobs.
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