Despite the bankruptcy of Swedish parent company Northvolt, construction of a battery plant in Heide, northern Germany, is set to continue. Europe wants to reduce its dependence on China—but uncertainty remains.
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00:00Construction is still underway.
00:03In Haida, northern Germany, a new battery plant is being built,
00:07scheduled for completion in 2026.
00:10It's a Northvolt project, meant to produce batteries
00:13primarily for electric vehicles.
00:16Just like at the company's Swedish headquarters,
00:18except that one has filed for bankruptcy.
00:21Roughly 600 million euros in public subsidies
00:24have already gone into the German plant.
00:27But what happens if construction suddenly stops?
00:32I'd feel very sorry if that happened,
00:34just as I feel sorry for the employees in Sweden.
00:37But our entire system, all our planning from 10 years ago,
00:41didn't start with Northvolt.
00:43This is a self-sustaining ecosystem.
00:46And our goal remains to attract energy-intensive companies,
00:50businesses and industries to settle here.
00:53The region is investing heavily in renewable energy.
00:59There's plenty of wind on land and offshore.
01:04That's why they're also massively expanding an existing transformer station
01:09for energy from wind power, photovoltaics and eventually green hydrogen.
01:14This energy would power the Northvolt plant if it ever opens.
01:22If we give up producing the core technology behind EVs,
01:26I'd be concerned for the entire auto industry.
01:28That's why we still back this initiative.
01:30But we've built a comprehensive system here.
01:34That's the key difference.
01:35We were already planning for new technologies before Northvolt even entered the picture.
01:40That's why the municipality is sticking to its original plans.
01:46A new highway exit is already under construction
01:49to provide direct access to the factory site.
01:52They're also building a new school and new apartments.
01:56The IG Metall Trade Union is less optimistic.
02:00It's calling on the EU Commission to step in
02:02and urging more cooperation at the European level.
02:05We need to ensure that European battery production succeeds.
02:10HEIDE is just one example.
02:12Across Europe, we're falling behind.
02:15Northvolt is just one warning sign.
02:17If Europe wants independence and sovereignty in battery production,
02:21then it must act now, before the bankruptcy in Sweden
02:24leads to decisions that also affect Germany.
02:27There are plans for nine battery cell factories in Germany,
02:35and 44 across Europe, from battery makers and automakers alike.
02:40The goal is to catch up with China in EV tech.
02:43But Northvolt isn't the only one in trouble,
02:46and it's unclear how many plants will actually be built.
02:49That's a big problem.
02:51From a strategy point of view, we have to have battery production on our own.
02:56We will lose many other markets as well.
03:00We can see it in the stationary market.
03:03Home storage systems, for example, some years ago,
03:0590% were produced by German and European manufacturers.
03:09Today, it's 90% Chinese.
03:12And the cars now coming with the Chinese batteries.
03:18In Haida, people haven't given up hope for the new factory.
03:22Many locals see it as a major opportunity for the region.
03:25While jobs are being cut across much of German industry,
03:28Northvolt could create 3,000 new positions here.
03:34Still, the latest news from Sweden has left many feeling uneasy.
03:40A lot of people here are saying,
03:42I don't think it will really happen.
03:45And I'm not sure what will come of it.
03:49Why build a battery factory in Haida?
03:52I don't see the point.
03:55And all those people, where would they even stay?
04:02It's hard to say at the moment.
04:04You hear a lot of reports and documentaries.
04:06I watched one the other day.
04:08And it's still all very uncertain, I think.
04:13At Northvolt in Sweden, they're now hoping for a new investor.
04:17So operations there can continue as well.