In attendance of German chancellor Olaf Scholz, vice-chancellor Robert Habeck, and minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Günther, the construction of the “Northvolt Drei” battery factory in Heide has officially begun. According to Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson and “Northvolt Drei” CEO Christofer Haux, the company aims to produce “the worldʼs greenest batteries” for the automotive, industrial and energy sectors at the new gigafactory.
Full production capacity to be reached by 2029
“Northvolt Drei” will use renewable energy from the regionʼs wind power, which had been a key factor in selecting the site. The factory is expected to create around 3,000 jobs and start production in 2026. Full production capacity of 60 gigawatt-hours per year is scheduled to be reached by 2029.
Project supported by federal and state governments
Back in January 2024, the Heide site had been finally confirmed by Northvolt for the construction of the factory, after contracts were signed with the municipalities of Lohe-Rickelshof and Norderwöhrden. According to the company, the total investment volume amounts to 4.5 billion euros. The federal and state governments are supporting the project with approximately 700 million euros and additional guarantees of 202 million euros. The aid had been approved by the European Commission in January.
Sources:
• https://northvolt.com/articles/start-of-construction-at-northvolt-drei/
• https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Northvolt-Scholz-spricht-von-Dithmarschen-Geschwindigkeit,northvolt370.html
