Port of Dunkirk has been chosen by the French industrial company Verkor for the construction of its first Gigafactory dedicated to the development of low-carbon automotive battery cells. The first delivery of low-carbon, high-performance batteries for electric vehicles, scheduled for July 2025, will be manufactured in Dunkirk, France. Production capacity will increase from 16 GWh in 2025 to 50 GWh in 2030.
Covering an area of more than 150 hectares, the site chosen for the set-up the Gigafactory will meet the growing demand from European and international car manufacturers, and the acceleration in the deployment of high-performance electric vehicles on the European continent. The factory will be located in the ZGI zone (Zone Grandes Industries) of Dunkirk-Port, approved as a “Choose France turnkey site” in January 2020, on the occasion of the visit of Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, to Dunkirk.
Up to 1,200 direct jobs and more than 3,000 indirect jobs could be created during the first phase of the project. Once production has started, the Gigafactory will supply several customers, including Renault Group, following the signing of a strategic partnership with Verkor last summer.
Maurice Georges, CEO of Port of Dunkirk, commented: “The announcement of the setting-up of Verkor in the Port of Dunkirk is a major event for the entire area surrounding Dunkirk and the Hauts-de-France region as a whole. The arrival of the company will help create an “Electric Battery Valley” in the region, in line with the associated logistics, maritime, rail and river sectors. I should like to thank the management of Verkor for their confidence and all our partners, including the Dunkirk Urban Council and the Hauts-de- France Regional Council, with whom we have worked tirelessly for many months to achieve this fine result, one which confirms the spirit of unity binding all the stakeholders in the surrounding area. I should also like to thank the government for its support.”
