Battery manufacturer Northvolt has announced a partnership with the two Swedish towns of Skellefteå and Västerås to establish a battery manufacturing facility.

Skellefteå, part of a raw material and mining cluster in the north of Sweden, will be the location of Northvolt’s main production site, which will include material preparation, cell assembly and recycling. The factory will employ 2,000-2,500 people.

Construction is scheduled to begin during the second half of 2018. When the first phase is completed in 2020, it will produce 8 GWh of battery capacity per year. The full factory, to be completed in 2023, will produce 32 GWh per year.

Västerås will host Northvolt’s R&D facility, including a demonstration line which will be used to qualify and industrialize products and processes. The Västerås operations will employ 300-400 people. Construction is scheduled to be completed in 2019.

“Sweden has a unique position to establish large-scale battery production with its clean and affordable energy, proximity to raw materials, and a strong industrial tradition,” said Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson. “This is the ideal operational setup for Northvolt. It meets the fundamental requirements for a large-scale battery factory, such as access to energy, infrastructure and skilled labor. It will also enable us to leverage a world-class electrification cluster to develop green and cost-efficient batteries together with our customers and partners.”

Source: Northvolt