Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) emphasized the strategic importance of investments such as the Northvolt battery factory near Heide for Germany and Europe. “Germany was, is and remains a strong industrial country,” said Scholz at a ceremony to mark the construction of the Gigafactory in Hedwigenkoog near Heide. “And the production of good cars remains the backbone of our industry, even beyond the combustion engine.”
This requires German-made battery cells. That’s why the construction of the Gigafactory near Heide is good news for the entire country. 3,000 jobs would be created directly at Northvolt, and another 10,000 are expected in the area around the factory. “This creates huge opportunities for medium-sized businesses.”
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) expects that a lot of things will change on the west coast as a result of the construction. That is the point of the whole exercise for Germany, but also for the region. “It will look different. It’s a major intervention,” said Habeck. Conversely, this means that jobs and added value are created and the region becomes more attractive for tourism.
Günther satisfied
Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) spoke of a great day of joy. With the construction of the factory it becomes clear that investments in renewable energies are worthwhile. “Climate-neutral industrial land becomes visible here.” The Northvolt example shows that these are not crazy companies. The state government supports the region, but will also need help from the federal government in the coming years to expand the transport infrastructure in order to get the batteries out of the factory. “We have a real growth region here that will have an impact on the whole of Germany.”
In the morning, Scholz, Habeck and Günther, together with Northvolt boss Peter Carlsson and Northvolt’s Germany boss Christofer Haux, were supposed to press the start button for the foundation work for the first factory building on the factory site in Lohe-Rickelshof and Norderwöhrden. The federal and state governments are supporting the battery factory with around 700 million euros. There are also possible guarantees for a further 202 million euros that still need to be approved. Production is scheduled to start in 2026.