Teresa Czerwinska, VP of the European Investment Bank, who oversees operations in Poland, said, “This first EIB operation with LG Chem Wroclaw Energy is significant for many reasons. It helps Europe to build a critical mass in electric vehicle battery production at a pivotal time of electric vehicle commercialization in Europe; it promotes a shift to electromobility and to a greener automotive industry; and it helps create new qualified jobs in an industrial region in transition to a new economic model.”
The additional manufacturing facilities will be located on the industrial site of LG Chem Wroclaw Energy in southwest Poland.
The project supplements smaller production facilities on the same site and presents several innovations, including a fully smart factory with several newly developed cutting-edge technologies to mass-produce the latest generation of high energy density li-ion electrodes, cells, modules and battery packs, thereby significantly improving energy density, fast-charging capability, safety and cost efficiency.
The EIB-backed project will have an annual production capacity of over 35 GWh, which can potentially power more than 500,000 zero-emission electric cars per year and therefore contribute to the transition from fossil fuel-powered internal combustion engine-based vehicles toward electromobility and sustainable transport.
LG Chem’s increasing commitment in Europe and in Poland is expected to positively contribute to the development of the European electric vehicles battery market. This includes a potential expansion of the relevant supply chain and the accumulation of critical knowledge, particularly in the area of battery production technologies, creating an eco-system that will help develop innovative solutions for this emerging industry in Europe.
Moreover, the company plans to further enhance existing cooperation programs with the Technical University of Wroclaw for developing dedicated studies, internships and training. In parallel, the company will expand its technology centre in Wroclaw in order to further improve production processes and develop next generation batteries.
The implementation of the new investment program will enable the company to ramp up its battery capacity output to ca. 65 GWh, making the Polish facility one of the largest lithium-ion cell factories in the world.
