IN VALENCIA

Next Volkswagen battery plant to be built in Spain, company confirms

A finished fully electric Volkswagen ID.3 is transported into a car tower at Volkswagen's factory in Dresden. Photo: Photo: Sebastian Kahnert/dpa.

Madrid wants to drive billions of euros in public and private investment into the electromobility sector in the coming years, aiming to make Spain a hub for the technology

German automotive firm Volkswagen has confirmed that its next electromobility battery cell production site is to be built in the Spanish city of Valencia.

Following Skellefteå in northern Sweden and Salzgitter in Lower Saxony, Valencia has been chosen as the next location for Europe's largest car group to produce its own battery cells for electric vehicles - at least partly to reduce dependency on dominant suppliers from Asia.

The plan to expand in Spain was already known in principle, but Volkswagen confirmed the move in a statement saying it would check the conditions for support from the Spanish government before making a final decision.

Madrid wants to drive billions of euros in public and private investment into the electromobility sector in the coming years, aiming to make Spain a hub for the technology.

The Spanish government is to open up the associated tender in April, the company said.

More than 3,000 jobs

Under VW's plan, more than 3,000 employees would work at the Valencia site, which would start production in 2026.

However, implementation still depends on the formal result of the application, the company has stressed.