Gotion and InoBat confirm gigafactory in Slovakia
The agreement does not come as a surprise. In November 2023, the companies signed a letter of intent to this effect with the Slovakian government regarding the factory. The partners had already presented the key points of the joint factory in September. However, at the time, the location was still generally referred to as the “Central European region.” The press release does not mention the sum of the agreement.
Construction of the new factory will kick off towards the end of the year, and operations will begin in 2026. The plant will have an initial capacity of 20 GWh. Once fully operational, it will have a total capacity of 60 GWh but the company has not disclosed when this will be the case.
Phase one will span 100 hectares and create more than 1,000 jobs. Moreover, the new site will deploy “an innovative closed-loop circular value-chain, located in the Šurany strategic eco park home of the Šurany Battery Hub.”
“The successful implementation of the project in Slovakia cannot be possible without the strong support from the Slovak government and the close cooperation with our partners,” says Li Zhen, Chairman of Gotion High-Tech. “Adhering to the principle of ‘In Slovakia, For Slovakia,’ and with the robust backing of the Slovak government, we are striving to develop the project into the most advanced zero-carbon battery factory in the EMEA region, assisting Šurany in becoming a crucial hub for batteries and new energy industries in Europe and contributing Gotion’s strength to global energy transformation.”
“Exciting to be involved in a new era for Slovakia, becoming a leader in the battery sector to clean energy and e-mobility,” adds InoBat CEO Marian Boček. “GIB’s Šurany factory will be among the largest and most innovative of its kind in the world. The Šurany Battery Hub will become a showcase for strategic eco-parks and a Hub for Research & Development. “
The Chinese and the Slovaks had already signed a memorandum of understanding in February 2023, which, among other things, provided for the examination of a joint factory. In addition to this factory, the memorandum of understanding also mentioned a technical cooperation for LFP and NMC batteries. The companies also looked at the potential of producing batteries for stationary energy storage in the existing InoBat plants in Slovakia to give Gotion quick access to the European market.
In December 2023, the companies founded a joint venture called GIB (Gotion-InoBat-Batteries), which is based in Slovakia.
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