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2023-11-27 00:00:00
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Slovak-Chinese Joint Venture to Establish Slovakia's First Battery Factory in Nitra Region
Gotion InoBat Batteries (GIB), a joint venture between Slovak firm InoBat and Chinese firm Gotion High-Tech, is set to construct Slovakia's first battery factory in the Nitra Region. The Slovak government announced this investment on Thursday, designating Šurany, a town in the Nitra Region and its local industrial park, as the location for this new facility that will produce batteries for electric vehicles.
Originally, the Volkswagen group was considering building a battery plant in Šurany or another location in central Europe. However, earlier this month, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala indicated that the company had paused its plans due to lower electric car sales.
The upcoming GIB plant's construction is scheduled to begin next year, supported by the Slovak government through land allocation, subsidies, and electric grid connectivity. This region is also home to a Jaguar Land Rover car plant, which aims to produce its first electric cars by the end of the decade.
Li Zhen, a board member of the Chinese company, expressed ambitions on November 22 for the factory to be the most advanced with zero carbon footprint, not only in Europe but globally. The plant is expected to fully launch battery production in 2026 and will create job opportunities for about 1,500 workers.
Zhen also expressed hope that Slovakia will become a global leader in battery production per capita, in addition to its existing status in car production.
The initial production capacity of the plant will be 20 gigawatt hours, with potential future expansion up to 40 gigawatt hours, as per the government's statement.
While the total investment amount wasn't disclosed by the Economy Ministry, the ministry emphasized that this project represents an opportunity for Slovakia to "shine again on the map of countries with technologically advanced industry." Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico of the ruling Smer party assured a stable and predictable political and legal environment for the project.
The Slovak Battery Alliance also expressed support for the agreement between Slovakia and the Slovak-Chinese firm, highlighting the potential benefits for numerous Slovak companies.
Gotion High-Tech, a top global battery conglomerate, is the exclusive supplier for Volkswagen (VW) outside of China and holds a 24.77 percent stake in the company, making VW its largest shareholder.
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