French company Verkor chooses Dunkirk to build its first Gigafactory

French startup Verkor has announced the selection of Dunkirk (Hauts de France) for the construction of its first Gigafactory that will produce low-carbon battery cells designed to support Europe’s net-zero goals.

The announcement marks a significant milestone for Verkor, founded in 2020, and for the European battery industry at large. Dunkirk has proven to be the most promising site out of the 40 investigated by Verkor in France, Spain and Italy. 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. Its capicaty is planned to expand from 16 GWh in 2025 to 50 GWh by 2030.

The construction of the Gigafactory is scheduled to begin in 2023 for a first delivery of  low-carbon high performance batteries for electric vehicles by July 2025. Up to 1,200 direct jobs and more than 3,000 indirect jobs are expected to be generated during the first phase of the project.

Read the full press release on Verkor’s website.