Creating a competitive and sustainable battery industry is a huge and urgent challenge for Europe that requires rapid actions in global competition. According to forecasts, the battery market in Europe could be up to EUR 250 billion from 2025 on.
To meet this demand alone, Europe would need 10 to 20 Giga-factories for battery cell manufacturing. Due to the required investment volume and pace, this industrial challenge cannot be let uncoordinated by the EU.
In October 2017, an initiative was launched by the Vice-President of the EU Commission Maroš Šefčovič, to build a Battery Alliance with all players in the European value chain. TerraE is part of this Battery Alliance.
The main objectives of the action plan are:
• Ensuring access to raw materials
• Support the production of European battery cells on a large scale and a complete
competitive value chain in Europe
• Strengthening the leadership role of industry through increased support for research
and innovation in the EU
• Build and strengthen a highly skilled workforce for all parts of the battery value chain
• Support the sustainability of the battery cell manufacturing industry in the EU
• Ensuring coherence with the general EU and regulatory framework
The Commission continues to call on the EU actors involved in the “European Battery Alliance” to promote the industry-led initiatives and projects and implement it in order to create a competitive battery value chain in Europe.
It also calls on the participating Member States to:
• Provide support for industry-led projects in the field of battery cell manufacturing or
other parts of the supply chain whenever indicated by means of national instruments and/or appropriate EU funding mechanisms for which they are responsible (e.g.
structural Funds);
• Simplify and accelerate approval and approval procedures (environment, manufacturing, construction) for pilot lines and relevant industry projects.
The CEO of TerraE, Holger Gritzka, on the initiative of the European Commission: “It is highly welcome that the EU Commission has recognized the importance of a functioning, innovative and sustainable eco-system for the production of battery cells in Europe, and that the EU Commission will create the political and financial framework for a successful implementation. TerraE is already coordinating a consortium of 19 European companies and institutes with the aim of producing battery cells in large-scale production in Europe.”
