Prologium opens its first european gigafactory in dunkirk

On a visit to Dunkirk on Friday 12 May 2023, the President of France Emmanuel Macron announced the arrival of the first battery gigafactory belonging to the Taiwanese company Prologium. But this announcement was not the only news that day…  

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT INVOLVE? 

• The ProLogium Technology group has announced its first European gigafactory in the Dunkirk area. It will be located in the Major Industries Area (ZGI) of the Grand Port Maritime of Dunkirk and construction is due to kick off in 2024. The plant will eventually produce batteries for 500,000 to 700,000 vehicles every year. 
• This factory represents a total investment of 5.2 billion euros, for an energy capacity of 48 GWh and 3,000 direct jobs created by 2030.  
• Coming just one year after the French start-up Verkor, the Dunkirk area has scored another victory with ProLogium Technology for its strategy to decarbonise the economy.

ABOUT PROLOGIUM TECHNOLOGY 

Founded in 2006, ProLogium Technology is a Taiwanese group, a lithium-ceramic battery expert and global leader in new generation solid-state batteries. The announcement made in the company of the President of France Emmanuel Macron on Friday 12 May 2023 stated that it aims to use this technology to facilitate the global energy transition with a view to decarbonisation, in line with the strategy for the ecological transformation and the European gigafactory in the Dunkirk area. 

WHY DUNKIRK? 

Initially competing with 90 candidate sites in Germany, the Netherlands and France, Dunkirk stood out to ProLogium. As a territory focusing on innovation and the circular economy, Dunkirk is becoming increasingly attractive to investors and has proven to be the ideal location for this gigafactory. 

The Dunkirk territory lies at the heart of this decarbonisation project and aims to reduce CO2 emissions by thirty percent by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2050. In addition, the territory plans to create 16,000 direct jobs in the new industrial sectors and in the energy sector within 5 to 10 years’ time. The territory’s many advantages proved to be influential in ProLogium’s final choice, much to the delight of Dunkirk’s residents. 

“In this sense, our territory is writing a new chapter that brings with it a once in a lifetime opportunity for its inhabitants to create tomorrow’s world.”

Patrice Vergriete, mayor of Dunkirk.

This project will get off the ground in 2024 in the Major Industries Area of the Grand Port Maritime of Dunkirk and promises great opportunities for the city. 

MORE THAN ONE ANNOUNCEMENT  

The announcement of the arrival of ProLogium in Dunkirk was accompanied by news of the likely creation of a cathode production site for lithium batteries: a joint venture between the Chinese company XTC and the French enterprise Orano. This establishment will represent a 1.5 billion euro investment and the creation of 1,700 further jobs.