Verkor chooses Dunkirk for its first Gigafactory

French battery maker Verkor has chosen the port city of Dunkirk to construct its first gigafactory in a bid to further the EU's net-zero goals.

The announcement marks a significant milestone for Verkor, founded in 2020, realising the company’s vision and accelerating its goals for battery development. Dunkirk is the most promising site out of the 40 investigated by Verkor in France, Spain and Italy.

Read more: Key moment as first "Made in EU" li-ion battery produced

Spanning more than 150 hectares, the site will meet growing demand from European and international car manufacturers, as the roll-out of high-performance electric vehicles continues to gather pace across the continent.

Once operational, the gigafactory will supply several customers, most notably automaker Renault which signed a strategic partnership with Verkor last summer.  

Benoit Lemaignan, CEO of Verkor, said: “We are eager now to work with our partners to unite all the winning conditions to build the best battery-cell factory in the world. Dunkirk is the best choice among many other great opportunities, and I really want to thank all the people in the territories, as well as our partners including Groupe IDEC, who supported us in this process.”

Read more: Volvo & Northvolt selects Gothenburg for battery gigafactory

The construction is scheduled to begin in 2023.

Research and development will continue to be based out of Grenoble where the construction of the Verkor Innovation Centre (VIC) is already underway. The innovations developed there will offer an insight into the work at the company’s first gigafactory.

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