Morocco will soon have two vehicle battery manufacturing plants. The projects are valued at 6 billion euros and 4 billion euros, announced this week Ryad Mezzour, the Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade.
Ryad Mezzour announced last year the installation of battery factories, a “logical step” to move towards all-electricity. At the time, the Minister of Industry had spoken of a large factory that should cost about 2 billion euros and allow to equip 300,000 vehicles. At a forum in Casablanca this week, Mezzour told local media that he has two projects on the table worth 10 billion euros, 6 billion for one and 4 billion for the other.
The first offer comes from Chinese battery manufacturer CALB, which is preparing to open a large factory in Sines, Portugal, and presented a new high-performance battery technology that charges in just 10 minutes at a forum in Beijing. The second bid is from Chinese battery maker SVolt Energy Technology Co. A subsidiary of BMW partner Great Wall Motor, the company already has two factories in Germany, one of which will start supplying Stellantis from 2025, according to Bloomberg.
In addition to the low costs and ease of attracting battery manufacturers, Morocco also has some of the resources needed for battery production. Korea’s LG, the world’s second-largest battery maker and Stellantis’ partner in Canada, has just announced an agreement with Chinese producer Yahua to supply lithium hydroxide to Morocco.
