CALB to start construction of battery factory in Portugal
According to CALB, the factory will create 1,800 direct jobs. Portugal has some of the world’s largest reserves of lithium, a key ingredient in the batteries that power electric cars: an estimated 60,000 tonnes, according to the US Geological Survey.
Chinese battery manufacturer CALB will build a production facility for lithium-ion batteries in Sines, Portugal. The factory, which is intended to start production in 2028, is expected to have an energy storage production capacity of 15 GWh and will adopt the latest generation of lithium battery technology, committed to becoming an important supplier to the European electric transportation industry. According to CALB, the investment amounts to two billion euros. The factory was first announced back in 2022, when production was expected to start in 2025.
CALB is planning five buildings for electrode production, cell production, assembly, and packaging. The production capacity is intended for electric vehicles, which are primarily destined for the European market. The factory is to be built in Sines, around 100 kilometers south of Lisbon. The port of Sines is considered a logistics hub with a deep-water port that operates around the clock.
“We chose Portugal to establish our European gigafactory because of its strategic advantages,” the chairwoman of the company’s board, Liu Jingyu, told an event in Lisbon to present the project.
According to CALB, the factory will create 1,800 direct jobs. Portugal has some of the world’s largest reserves of lithium, a key ingredient in the batteries that power electric cars: an estimated 60,000 tonnes, according to the US Geological Survey.
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