High tension among neighbors in the east.
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It was in 2017 that it was announced that a huge battery factory would be built in the Swedish forests, more exactly outside the city of Skellefteå. Now the company Northvolt has a new milestone to point to. By December 28, they completed the production of the first battery cell. According to the company, this is the first battery cell that has been completely designed, developed and produced in a gig factory by a European-developed company. The battery cell itself was produced at their plant in Västerås, where there has been production since early 2020.
The lithium battery that is produced is so-called prismatic, and has a rectangular shape. The development and upscaling of the factory will continue in 2022. Then the first customer deliveries will also start. When the factory in Skellefteå, called Northvolt one, in a few years reaches an annual production of 60 gigawatt hours, they can execute orders worth over 30 billion dollars. These contracts have been signed with, among others, BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo cars and Polestar.
500 out of 3,000
The general manager of Northvolt, Peter Carlsson, makes no secret of the fact that the production of the first battery at the factory is large.
– We have worked very hard to achieve this. Of course, the first battery cell is just the beginning. Over the next few years, we look forward to increased production capacity that will enable the European transition to clean energy, says Carlsson via a press release.
At present, there are over 500 employees at the factory in Skellefteå, from 56 different nations. In total, the goal is to have 3,000 employees. As Fremover has previously mentioned, the factory boom has led to outright chaos in the housing market.
Regulation work in progress
In Narvik, as is well known, there are similar plans, with a battery factory at Hergot. It is estimated that the factory can provide jobs to somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 employees. Recently, a notice was issued that the regulation work for the area on Hergot is starting. Nordkraft project is on behalf of Narvik battery developer. Narvik battery is again owned by Nordkraft, Stolt-Nielsen Holding and Aker. It is estimated that production of batteries at Hergot can start in 2025.
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