CATL starts work on €4.1bn battery plant in Spain

China's CATL has commenced the enactment connected what is expected to go Spain’s largest artillery manufacturing facility.

The €4.1bn ($4.8bn) task is being developed with automaker Stellantis successful the northeastern portion of Aragon.

Located successful Figueruelas, a municipality of astir 1,300 residents, the works is scheduled to commencement accumulation successful precocious 2026.

The concern is supported by much than €300m successful European Union funding.

Spain’s Industry Minister Jordi Hereu, arsenic reported by Bloomberg, said: “We’re gathering the champion concern exemplary successful Spain and successful Europe.”

He called the mill successful Figueruelas “the champion publication that Spain tin marque to the re-industrialisation of Europe”.

According to Reuters, section unions said astir 2,000 Chinese workers volition beryllium progressive successful gathering the facility, with plans to employment and bid astir 3,000 Spanish workers erstwhile operations advance.

CAAR Aragon manager wide David Romeral said: "We don't cognize this technology, these components - we've ne'er made them before.

"They're years up of us. All we tin bash is ticker and learn."

CAAR Aragon is simply a web of automotive companies successful Aragon.

CATL has indicated that immoderate Chinese engineers and managers are already connected tract successful Figueruelas, with respective 100 much expected by the extremity of this twelvemonth and adjacent to 2,000 by the extremity of adjacent year.

UGT national Aragon caput wide Jose Juan Arceiz added: "They are the ones who cognize however to marque a gigafactory.”

He added that unions were awaiting accomplishment requirements from CATL successful bid to plan grooming programmes with the section university.

Arceiz said: "As the works ramps up, determination volition beryllium much jobs for Spanish workers.

"This task needs to succeed, and everyone has to bash their part."

Spain, the second-largest conveyance shaper successful Europe, is seeking to physique a presumption arsenic a determination centre for artillery manufacturing, helped by comparatively little labour costs and concern vigor prices.

Alongside the CATL–Stellantis project, 3 further artillery plants are planned successful the country, involving Envision AESC, Volkswagen’s PowerCo and InoBat.

However, technological capabilities stay an obstacle.

Stellantis shipping manager Roque Ordovás Mangirón said: “Before it was mostly German technology, and present it’s Chinese. What quality does it make? Here successful Spain, what we offered was ever labour.”

The Aragon determination medication said it is processing enactment permits for incoming unit and is “working intensely” to pull further parts of the artillery proviso concatenation to the area.

The task comes successful a backdrop of European automotive manufacture bodies calling for tighter rules connected section contented successful conveyance and artillery production, successful portion to shield home manufacturers from Chinese competitors.