PORT OF DUNKIRK WELCOMES VERKOR

PORT OF DUNKIRK WELCOMES VERKOR
4th february 2022

The French industrial company Verkor has announced the choice of the Port of Dunkirk in France for the construction of its first Gigafactory dedicated to the development of low-carbon automotive battery cells. At stake: 1,200 direct industrial jobs for the surrounding area during the first phase of the project.

The first delivery of low-carbon, high-performance batteries for electric vehicles, scheduled for July 2025, will be manufactured in Dunkirk. Production capacity will increase from 16 GWh in 2025 to 50 GWh in 2030.

Covering an area of more than 150 hectares, the site chosen for the set-up the Gigafactory will meet the growing demand from European and international car manufacturers, and the acceleration in the deployment of high-performance electric vehicles on the European continent. The factory will be located in the ZGI zone (Zone Grandes Industries) of Dunkirk-Port, approved as a "Choose France turnkey site" in January 2020, on the occasion of the visit of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, to Dunkirk.

The site meets all the requirements of a Gigafactory in terms of land, logistics, power capacity, proximity to customers, access to skilled labour and expansion. Up to 1,200 direct jobs and more than 3,000 indirect jobs could be created during the first phase of the project. Verkor's Gigafactory in Dunkirk will create a new ecosystem of stakeholders and solutions to support the development of the battery value chain in Europe.

Once production has started, the Gigafactory will supply several customers, including Renault Group, following the signing of a strategic partnership with Verkor last summer.

Maurice GEORGES, CEO of Port of Dunkirk, commented: "The announcement of the setting-up of Verkor in the Port of Dunkirk is a major event for the entire area surrounding Dunkirk and the Hauts-de-France region as a whole. The arrival of the company will help create an "Electric Battery Valley" in the region, in line with the associated logistics, maritime, rail and river sectors. I should like to thank the management of Verkor for their confidence and all our partners, including the Dunkirk Urban Council and the Hauts-de-France Regional Council, with whom we have worked tirelessly for many months to achieve this fine result, one which confirms the spirit of unity binding all the stakeholders in the surrounding area. I should also like to thank the government for its support."

Benoit LEMAIGNAN, CEO of Verkor said: "I should like to pay tribute to the close cooperation between the teams of the Port of Dunkirk and those of Verkor which has resulted in Dunkirk being chosen as the site for this first Gigafactory. It is a major step in our roadmap and we are continuing to work with all of our stakeholders to combine all the conditions for success and build the best battery cell factory in the world."