Northvolt: a third battery factory in Sweden

Transforming a paper mill into a plant for materials and batteries for electric vehicles, Northvolt ensures a third Swedish production site.

Sweden ranks in the Top 3 countries selling the most electric cars in Europe. With nearly 20%, it is ahead of its southern counterparts, but also in the battery sector.

Northvolt, the Nordic battery heavyweight

Because it’s not just Volvo. The automaker is actively engaged in the transition from internal combustion engines to electric solutions. But to move forward, it also needs batteries. And preferably produced locally, with materials and factories that respect the environment as much as possible.

In this sector, Northvolt seems to be becoming a national giant, with contracts totaling €50 billion. To fulfill these, production is also essential. From 2 factories, the company has expanded to 4 within a few weeks. After its first site “Ett” in Skellefteå (Sweden) and the one in Salzgitter (Germany) with Volkswagen, Northvolt has announced a third in partnership with Volvo in Gothenburg.

A third facility will support the activity but will not directly produce batteries. The Börlange plant will produce cathodes and cells for batteries used in other sites. It would enable Northvolt to reach a total capacity of 100 GWh of batteries.

Factory conversion and job creation

Furthermore, the site does not start from scratch by clear-cutting a forest (see Tesla’s second factory in Germany). Instead, it will convert a paper mill that closed in 2021, purchased from Stora Enso.

This conversion will be swift, with production expected to start at the end of 2024, already utilizing green energy. The region will benefit as Northvolt will create 1,000 jobs, far more than the 400 former jobs at the paper mill.

“Since the beginning of Northvolt, we have focused on circular battery production,” states CEO Peter Carlsson, “and this is the first time we are going to reuse an entire production site.”

Committed, the company works extensively on the circular economy, having produced its first NMC cells from recycled nickel, manganese, and cobalt. These materials could account for 50% of cell production by 2030, recycling 125,000 tons of batteries.

Read also: Who is CATL, the number 1 in electric vehicle batteries?