On April 4, 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.

"For Thuringia, CATT is one of the most important industrial investments in 
recent decades," said Tiefensee. "At the same time, the project could be the 
initial spark for the emergence of a 'Battery Valley Thuringia,' as the first 
batch of CATL's supplier companies have settled around the area."

CATT consists of two buildings: G1, an existing building purchased from another 
company and where cells are assembled to modules, and G2, a newly-built plant 
by CATT and where cells will be produced. The approval on Monday was issued to 
permit cell production of G2.

With clean rooms, technical cleanliness and constant humidity, the plant is 
almost as complex as a chip factory. Meanwhile, the plant generates part of its 
power from the solar power panels on the rooftop of the building in an effort 
to produce sustainably.

CATL broke ground on its German plant in 2019, and it is scheduled to start 
cell production by the end of 2022, when a total of 1,500 jobs will be created 
in Germany.

With a total investment of 1.8 billion euro, CATL plans to achieve a production 
capacity of 14GWh and create 2,000 jobs in Germany in the future.  

Located at the heart of Germany, the plant is poised to provide high-quality 
products and services for major carmakers in Germany, thus promoting the 
electric mobility and energy transformation in Europe. 

SOURCE: CATL

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