CATL launches production at new battery factory in northern China
According to CN EV Post, the new battery plant is CATL’s first factory in northern China. Specifically, the manufacturer’s new production facility is located in Jining in Shandong province. Batteries for vehicles and stationary applications roll off the production line there. The partial factory, which has now gone into operation, is to be expanded this year and next, making it CATL’s largest battery production facility in China. This is according to CN EV Post, citing an official company press release. However, no specific GWh figure is given for the final expansion stage.
The dimensions of the factory are immense: CATL has built over 52 hectares of land in the current expansion stage. Once the plant is complete, it will “form a world-leading cluster for new energy batteries worth 100 billion yuan,” CATL wrote. Converted, that is a good 12 billion euros.
The plant construction in the northern Chinese province will be flanked by a series of framework agreements that will benefit Shandong. For example, CATL is involved in plans to build a ‘CO2-free city’ with the municipality of Jining. In addition, the promotion of CATL’s battery replacement approach has been agreed with the Ministry of Transport of Shandong Province.
According to a prospectus filed in Hong Kong earlier this month, CATL will have 13 battery production sites and six research and development centres worldwide by the end of 2024. According to data from SNE Research, CATL produced 84.9 GWh of electric car batteries at these facilities in the first quarter, an increase of 40 per cent compared to the same period last year. This means that CATL serves a good 38 per cent of the global market – and therefore remains the most important player in battery production worldwide.
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