CATL's German Plant Gets Battery Cell Production Approval

Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia GmbH (CATT), CATL's first plant outside of China, received the 2nd partial approval for the commissioning of a new plant for battery cell production from the state of Thuringia, Germany, marking a significant milestone for CATL's global footprint expansion despite the pandemic.

At the ceremony held in CATT at the Erfurter Kreuz industrial area, Anja Siegesmund, Thuringia's Minister of Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation, and Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thuringia's Minister of Economy, handed over the permit to Matthias Zentgraf, CATL's President for Europe, allowing an initial capacity of 8 GWh per year for the plant.

The construction of the plant, which is also Germany's first battery factory, is in the final stage and the installation of machines is in full swing so that the first cells can roll off the assembly lines by the end of 2022.

"CATT provides a fundamental impetus for the urgently needed energy transition, and we are glad to be the first company to receive approval to manufacture batteries 'Made in Germany'," said Zentgraf, adding that the cooperation with the authorities during the approval process worked in an exemplary manner.

E-mobility in Germany is currently gaining immense momentum, and the state needs companies that are committed to taking sustainability and conservation into account right from the production stage, said Siegesmund.