Volkswagen’s battery subsidiary PowerCo SE announced the start of construction of a new battery Gigafactory in Valencia, Spain.
The new facility is part of a broader 10 billion investment by VW Group companies in Spain. VW’s car factories in Martorell and Pamplona will transition to electric and connected vehicles as part of the investment.
PowerCo SE is going the extra mile to set up a green and carbon-neutral facility in Spain. The factory will be powered by green energy with a new 250-hectare solar farm nearby and wind energy from the region. The raw material cycle will also be closed directly on-site to minimise the environmental impact.
Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo, said this at the announcement:
We want to be a good neighbour to the people in the region and make a significant contribution to economic development. Not only will we create more than 3,000 jobs of the future, but we also intend to work with the regional government to initiate targeted projects aimed at strengthening science and society.
The new facility will have a capacity of around 40 GWh with potential expansion. The facility should come online in 2026.
This will be the third confirmed cell factory location for PowerCo. The company will now have cell factories in Salzgitter, Germany, Valencia, Spain and St. Thomas in Ontario.
