With the Commission's blessing, the French Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, and the German Minister of Economy and Energy, Peter Altmaier, lifted the veil a little further on the 3rd and 4th generation battery production consortium project on Thursday 2 May in Paris, in the presence of the Commission Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič.
The two ministers confirmed that the car manufacturer PSA and its German subsidiary Opel, as well as the energy company Total and its subsidiary Saft, a specialist in high-tech batteries, intend to launch a pilot project in battery production.
The timetable and objectives were specified by Mr Le Maire: the first step would be to produce liquid batteries until 2022-2023, after which solid batteries would be developed. A pilot project employing about 200 people is expected to start in France and then two production plants, one in France and the other in Germany, each employing about 1,500 people, are expected to open later.
The French minister added that Italy, Belgium, Poland, Austria and Finland had expressed their interest, as well as Sweden. The long-term objective is to create almost ex nihilo a "made in Europe" battery sector whose main specificity would be the emphasis on sustainability and recycling.
Endorsement by the Commission
The Franco-German project would have received the support in principle from the European Commission, which recognised its strategic nature for the EU, the French Minister said the same day. This paves the way for the recognition of an important project of common European interest (IPCEI). This decision comes shortly after a 3rd meeting of the European Battery Alliance on Tuesday 30 April (see EUROPE 12245/13). Obtaining recognition as a IPCEI would allow the future consortium to benefit from State aid (around €1.2 billion) without violating European law in this matter.
This is a positive signal for both ministers, after some recent disappointments with Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who rejected the proposed merger between Siemens and Alstom (see EUROPE 12188/1).
The project must be notified in detail to the European Commission in June, Mr Šefčovič recalled, who hopes to obtain the Commission's approval before the end of his current mandate.
Time is running out, as the German minister pointed out, indicating that car manufacturers have given 12 months to see whether the project is viable or not. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)