The official announcement of the installation of a large Stellantis electric vehicle battery factory in collaboration with the Chinese company CATL in Figueruelas (Zaragoza) has been, without a doubt, one of the news of this year that is now ending for the sector of the automotive industry in our country. The accompanying figures speak almost for themselves: 4.1 billion euros of investment, 80 hectares of land and up to one million batteries produced per year.
To make this last information more precise, the gigafactory – which is what this type of facility is usually called – will be able to manufacture, when it is fully operational, battery cells for between 700,000 and one million vehicles per year, depending on the capacity. of the model for which they are intended. Assuming that these were only Opel Corsa vehicles, the most emblematic model of those produced in the Aragonese plant, we would be talking about exactly one million cars.
Stellantis and CATL confirmed last week an investment of more than 4,000 million euros to constitute a joint venture dedicated to building a European plant where lithium iron phosphate batteries, known as LFPs, will be produced specifically. The plant, which will occupy land adjacent to the current factory, will be designed to be completely carbon neutral and its implementation will consist of several phases and investment plans.
The term gigafactory It generally applies to those factories that have a battery production capacity that exceeds one gigawatt-hour (GWh), that is, the energy necessary to maintain a constant power of one gigawatt for 60 minutes. One gigawatt-hour is equivalent to 1 billion watt-hours.
The one projected in Zaragoza was born with the objective of starting production at the end of 2026 at the Stellantis facilities in Figueruelas and could reach a capacity of up to 50 GWh, subject, however – as the consortium highlights in a statement – to the evolution of the electricity market in Europe and “to the continued support of the authorities in Spain and the European Union.”
The joint venture 50% between CATL and Stellantis will boost the group’s LFP battery offer, which will allow it to “offer more passenger cars, crossovers and high-quality, durable and affordable battery-electric SUVs in the B and C segments with intermediate ranges,” we also read in the text.
With this, the battery manufacturer CATL will have three battery factories in Europe. Those in Germany and Hungary are already operational, and the one in Zaragoza will be the second with the highest production capacity, after the Hungarian one in Debrecen.
Regarding the agreement signed between both companies, John Elkann, CEO of Stellantis, has stated the following: “This is important joint venture will bring innovative battery production to a production center that is already a leader in clean and renewable energy, helping to drive a 360-degree sustainable approach. I want to thank everyone stakeholders who have participated in making the announcement a reality, including the Spanish authorities for their continued support.”
For his part, Robin Zeng, Chairman and CEO of CATL, said: “The agreement has taken our cooperation with Stellantis to new heights, and I believe that our leading battery technology and excellent operational knowledge, combined with decades of experience of Stellantis in local business management in Zaragoza will guarantee great success in the sector.”
Great news for employment
The announcement of the gigafactory has been welcomed by both workers and unions as well as managers of the various companies linked to the Figueruelas plant. For example, the general director of the components firm CEFA and also president of the Aragon Family Business Association (AEFA), Jorge Blanchard, considers it “excellent news because it clears up certain ghosts about the future of the factory and reduces that minimum risk that, at a given moment, a closure could occur, as is happening with Volkswagen in Germany.”
In statements to Herald of Aragonthe manager specifies: “What does not clear up is the doubt about the volumes of electric cars that are going to be manufactured” nor “to what extent these types of vehicles are going to be accepted in the market at a rate higher than that currently being achieved.” selling.”
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