The European Commission has approved 48 million euros in state aid for AESCʼ French subsidiary. The aid will support the construction of a lithium-ion battery plant for electric vehicles in Douai in northern France. According to the company, production could start as early as 2025. The measure is part of the EUʼs efforts to strengthen the competitiveness of the European automotive industry against suppliers from China and the United States.
30 gigawatt-hours annually from 2030
The gigafactory in Douai will have an annual production capacity of nine gigawatt-hours in the first phase and will be expanded to 30 gigawatt-hours by 2030. The total investment volume is approximately 1.3 billion euros. In addition to the government funding now approved, the European Investment Bank has already contributed 450 million euros to the project.
Renault expands its EV division
The Douai plant is expected to create around 1,000 direct jobs. The project is closely linked to Renaultʼs plans to expand its own electric vehicle (EV) division. Thus, the batteries will be used in future models of the French carmaker.
