As part of its multi-step investment plan to support the European electric vehicle (EV) value chain, BASF plans a new battery materials production site in Schwarzheide, Germany. The plant will produce cathode active materials (CAM) with an initial capacity enabling the supply of around 400,000 full electric vehicles per year with BASF battery materials. The plant will use precursors (PCAM) from a plant the company plans in Harjavalta, Finland. Startup of the two plants is planned for 2022.
With these investments in Finland and Germany, BASF will be the first CAM supplier with local production capacities in today’s three major markets – Asia, the U.S., and Europe. The company will become the leading supplier with a reliable, sustainable, and European-based supply chain. It will comprise base metal supply, particularly nickel and cobalt, precursor production, and cathode material production within one region.
The site in Schwarzheide uses an energy-efficient gas and steam turbine power plant that operates on the principle of combined heat and power generation. It is currently being modernized to further increase its eco-efficiency. Until the battery materials plant is commissioned, the integration of renewable energies is also planned. The Harjavalta plant will use renewable energy resources, including hydro, wind, and biomass-based power.
- BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany
