Ref. Ares(2021)7694182 - 13/12/2021
DG GROW
Commissioner Thierry Breton’s visit to Sweden
Sweden, 11-12.10.21
BRIEFING NOTE (Commission Internal)
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• Meeting with Northvolt
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- Northvolt’s long term ambition is to produce 25% of Europe’s
batteries by 2030: it announced on 7 October the investment of
$750 M for Northvolt Labs (Västerås, Sweden) to establish the
world’s first R&D campus covering the entire battery ecosystem.
Key questions to the interlocutors
- How do you see developments regarding batteries/cells technology?
- Where do you see potential dependencies regarding batteries/cells and
how can they be prevented?
- How can cel s produced in Europe become global y competitive?
- What are your ambitions for your involvement in the IPCEI?
- What are the main chal enges you are experiencing in recruiting and
retaining staff? What more can the EU do to help in this area?
- Do you see other chal enges affecting your industry?
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- Northvolt has been a key driving force of the European Battery
Al iance since the beginning in 2017, when few Europe’s leading
automotive manufacturers were convinced that there was a
business case for electric cars;
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Background information
Name of Cabinet Member:
Name of the Director who has cleared the briefing:
BASIS request ID: CAB BRETON/1183
Name of main contact person:
Telephone number:
Directorate/Unit:
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Northvolt
Northvolt was founded as a start-up in 2016. It is a European supplier of
sustainable, high-quality battery cel s and systems. Founded to enable the
European transition to a decarbonized future, the company has made swift
progress on its mission to deliver the world’s greenest lithium-ion battery with a
minimal CO2 footprint. Among Northvolt industrial partners and customers are
ABB, BMW Group, Scania, Siemens, Vattenfal , Vestas, Volkswagen Group and
Volvo Cars.
The aim is for the project to drive innovations along the entire value chain, from
raw material extraction, over advanced material development to battery systems
and recycling. In particular, the project wil offer an opportunity for European
equipment and component suppliers to develop and qualify innovative solutions,
which are designed to build competitiveness towards overseas competitors.
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Northvolt is part of the second IPCEI with State Aid from the Swedish
Government (€53.8 mil ion) and from the German Government (€155.6 mil ion).
Northvolt wil contribute to various projects within the work stream on battery
cel s to develop production techniques based upon a vertical y integrated
production model characterised by low CO2 footprint, process innovation and
very high level of automation and digitalization.
Northvolt wil have a critical role to play in the Work Stream on battery cells as it
is involved in most of the projects. However, this IPCEI is in its very early stages of
development (first meeting only on 17th September) and so there is no
information yet on progress. The first report is expected in May 2022.
About Northvolt Lab’s expansion (investment of $750 M), the new R&D campus,
of Northvolt, said: “
There is today an
irreversible momentum surrounding the switch to battery electric solutions.
Northvolt Labs is being expanded in order to capitalize on this – to drive the
transition at even greater speed towards safe, sustainable battery solutions. By
establishing a campus where industrial actors can engage, surrounded by all
necessary facilities, it is our belief that we can create the necessary foundation for
Europe to emerge as the leading region for a technology that is at the heart of the
race to decarbonize.”
In paral el to the construction of the new facility, a new 15,000 square meter
office is under development to support an increase in headcount from 400
persons today to at least 1,000 persons who wil work at Northvolt Labs.
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Northvolt welcomes the ambitious policy including on recycling requirements,
carbon footprint and due diligence. It cal s it a large step in the right direction,
though asks for further improvements, mainly: chemical restrictions only in
REACH, no mandatory levels for recycled content, no performance and durability
requirements, earlier application of the carbon footprint, safeguard intel ectual
property rights in the battery passport, and more precise rules for recovery
efficiency targets higher than 90%.
In the framework of the European Battery Al iance, MSs have developed two
battery IPCEIs. The first one, coordinated by France, was approved in December
2019 and implementation has started. The second, coordinated by Germany, was
approved on 25th January 2021.
The Battery Al iance has led directly to the launch of an Erasmus+ Blueprint Skil s
Programme for Batteries – ALBATTS. It is very welcome that Northvolt is
contributing this programme to identify future skil needs in the EU battery sector
and strategies to help universities, training institutes, regional authorities and
industry meet these needs. Your frontline experience wil make, I am sure, a very
valuable contribution. It is supplemented by an automotive partnership, under
the Pact for Skil s, launched in January 2021
The Commission has established a Screening and Monitoring Mechanism to
ensure that al industrial al iances are open, inclusive, transparent, and comply
with EU competition rules.
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Raw materials
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Northvolt welcomes the ambitious policy including on recycling requirements,
carbon footprint and due diligence. It cal s it a large step in the right direction,
though asks for further improvements, mainly: chemical restrictions only in
REACH, no mandatory levels for recycled content, no performance and durability
requirements, earlier application of the carbon footprint, safeguard intel ectual
property rights in the battery passport, and more precise rules for recovery
efficiency targets higher than 90%.
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List of CVs
Starting from here: Redaction of personal data
(article 4(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001
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