Chinese battery producer CATL's German plant enters operation

Photo taken on Sept. 11, 2019 shows staff are working at the CATL. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) recently announced the start of mass production of lithium-ion battery and cell at its first overseas plant in Germany, marking the official operation of the plant, reported China Economic Net on Monday.

The plant in Erfurt, Thuringia, is expected to involve a total investment of 1.8 billion euros and have a designed capacity of 14 gigawatt hours (GWh). It will reach an annual output capacity of 30 million cells, which may facilitate assembly of 185,000 to 350,000 electric vehicles.

CATL's German plant has become the most important investment which Thuringia has received from Chinese companies in recent decades and will play a central role not only in the global industrial transformation, but also in the transformation of the auto industry in Germany and Europe, said Ramelow, Thuringian Minister president.

As the first large-scale battery production project in Western Europe, CATL's German plant has achieved cell production on schedule, showing that even in the face of various risks and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, CATL will keep its commitment to customers and the electric transformation of Europe, said Matthias Zentgraf, CATL's regional president in Europe.