Chinese energy storage company Hithium has confirmed its plan to drive the development, construction, and operation of a gigafactory for battery energy storage systems (BESS) and cells in Navarre. This deal, according to the document signed by the company founder and chairman, Jeff Wu, and the president of the Navarre regional government, María Chivite, in the presence of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will involve an investment of around €400 million and will create 700 direct jobs.

The president of Navarre, who attended the meeting during her recent business trip to China, welcomed the company’s choice of her autonomous region and announced that, although a few details still need to be finalized, production is expected to begin over the course of next year. The agreement has been finalized after two years of direct contact, seven visits by Chinese representatives to Navarre, and four trips to China by delegations from the regional government.

Ideal commercial environment
Hithium’s Managing Director of the Strategic Development Office, Qi Tang, says this agreement marks a milestone in the Chinese company’s investment in Navarre, and says that his intention is to get the project up and running “as soon as possible.” “We believe that both Navarre and Spain offer the ideal business environment for us and other Chinese companies to develop our business in Europe,” he said.

Navarre’s gigafactory will be dedicated to both cell manufacturing and  the assembly of stationary battery energy storage systems. The company develops energy storage solutions for renewable energy technologies, and its product portfolio includes lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, modules, battery packs, and advanced liquid-cooling systems.

^{Photo: Hithium}