Media information from the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science and Digital Society
The Free State of Thuringia is becoming the most important European location for the production of battery cells: With the first groundbreaking ceremony, Thuringia's Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee, together with the company's European head Matthias Zentgraf, today started the construction work for the new battery cell plant of the Chinese Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) at the “Erfurter Kreuz” near Arnstadt. By early 2022, the first CATL production facility outside of China will be established here under the name “Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia GmbH” (CATT).
In total, the company is investing 1.8 billion euros in its location in the medium term and is creating up to 2,000 jobs. "The project is in many respects an investment of superlatives," said Tiefensee, who had been actively campaigning for the settlement since the beginning of 2017. The state's tough, roughly one-and-a-half-year struggle for the contract ultimately paid off. "For Thuringia, the settlement of CATL is one of the most significant industrial investments of recent decades."
The focus of the plant, with an initial capacity of 14 and later up to 24 gigawatt hours, is on the automated production of lithium-ion batteries for motor vehicles. "This means that the technology that makes the German and European mobility transition possible in the first place comes from Thuringia,“ said Tiefensee. In addition, the company will invest significantly in research and development, quality control, and high-quality services. Thuringia has pledged its support for the investment and the planned research activities within the framework of state aid regulations.
The decision to locate in Thuringia was made, among other reasons, due to its central location in Germany and Europe, its well-developed transport and research infrastructure, and its proximity to major automobile manufacturers. All German OEMs can be reached from Thuringia by truck within four hours. "However, the decisive factor for the investment was not least the strategic cooperation we agreed on in the research-intensive areas of factory automation and battery technology,“ said Tiefensee. CATL's investment decision for Thuringia was officially sealed on July 9, 2018, as part of the German-Chinese government consultations at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.
The company acquired a plot of land at the industrial site "Erfurter Kreuz" for its investment project, which is being developed and marketed by the Thuringian State Development Corporation (LEG). "We accompanied CATL on its way to Thuringia with our full-service offering," said Andreas Krey, Managing Director of LEG. "We are delighted that the company is starting construction at our site and will continue to support CATL with advice and assistance in its future steps in the Free State."
CATL is expected to start production as early as the end of next year. To this end, the company has acquired a building complex at the "Erfurter Kreuz" from the insolvent SolarWorld Industries GmbH on short notice. The state government hopes that the investment will send a signal for the settlement of further companies and research institutions in the field of battery technologies, Tiefensee continued. "Thuringia can use the momentum of this settlement to become a leading industrial and research location for modern storage technologies in Germany and Europe."
Stephan Krauß
Press spokesperson, Head of Department
Photo: Thomas Abé
