Alex Trelinski
VOLKSWAGEN’S electric car battery company PowerCo has started construction on its new plant at Sagunto in Valencia province which will become operational in 2026.
The factory will be on a 150 hectare site on the Parc Sagunt II industrial estate which will also house a battery recycling plant.
King Felipe presided over a ceremony on Friday to lay the first stone and said the factory was a ‘great bet for the future’ and would lead Spain to become a ‘European electric mobility hub’.
Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, accompanied the monarch and commented that the project was a good example of how Spain should move to a ‘new productive model in a commitment to innovation and sustainable mobility’.
He added that it sent out a ‘hopeful message’ when wealth and job creation is linked to reducing dangerous emissions.
The PowerCo plant- the first electric car battery factory in Spain- will have the capacity to make 150 million battery cells per annum serving 500,000 cars.
Around €3 billion will be invested in the next three years to create 3,000 new jobs- 92% of those directly involved in battery production- and up 12,000 indirect positions.
“This is a country project to recover industrial weight and create wealth and prosperity,” said SEAT president, Wayne Griffiths.
Batteries will be supplied to VW car plants in the Barcelona and Pamplona areas.
READ MORE:
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- Spain signs big green energy deal including new electric car battery factory
