The possible Stellantis gigafactory in Zaragoza would produce LFP batteries with CATL and would employ 3,000 people.
Stellantis is looking for a location for its fourth European battery gigafactory after having announced the opening of three centers in Germany, France and Italy. A priori, our country is the one that has the most chances of taking the lead , since it is home to three of the group’s vehicle plants (Madrid, Vigo and Zaragoza).
Everything indicates that, if it receives the green light, the Spanish gigafactory will be built precisely in the Aragonese capital. This project, which would mean the creation of some 3,000 direct jobs , would entail an investment of approximately 2.5 billion euros, which would be supported by both the central and regional governments.
Although the talks are very advanced, Stellantis considers insufficient the 55.87 million euros in public aid that has been granted in the second call of the PERTE (Strategic Projects for the Recovery and Economic Transformation) of the Electric and Connected Vehicle .
The Spanish authorities have committed to finding other formulas to “tie” the project to the region, since it is an initiative of special strategic relevance. The factory would be operated jointly with the Chinese giant CATL , the largest manufacturer of automotive batteries on the planet. LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) type cells would emerge from its lines.
The Vigo and Zaragoza plants will produce electric cars on the STLA Small platform
The one known as the Antares Project is of vital importance for the electrification plans of the homeland industry; Not in vain, Stellantis is the main automobile producer in Spain. In 2023, its three national factories produced 1,003,301 units of the 2.46 million vehicles made throughout the country; that is, 40.74% of the total.
The conglomerate has already assigned its future STLA Small platform to Vigo and Zaragoza, an architecture for small electric cars that will debut in 2025/2026 (although some rumors indicate that its arrival could be postponed slightly). It will serve as a base for cars in segments A (urban), B (utility) and C (compact) between 3.5 and 4.35 meters long. Its batteries will have between 32 and 82 kWh capacity, offering a maximum range of 500 km WLTP .
The investments to adapt the plants to the new platform will amount to 1,000 million euros . Once the project is completed, the future of both plants and their workload will be assured for many years. However, it is still unknown what the future holds for the Villaverde center (Madrid), which produces the Citroën ë-C4 and ë-C4 X.
READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market
The possible Stellantis gigafactory in Zaragoza would produce LFP batteries with CATL and would employ 3,000 people, January 5, 2023
