Volvo Cars expands Ghent battery plant

Swedish carmaker Volvo Cars plans to expand the battery factory next to its production site in the East Flemish city of Ghent, Het Nieuwsblad reported on Tuesday. Volvo Car Gent has confirmed the news. The existing production hall, where cells are assembled into battery packs for cars which roll off the production line in Ghent, will get an additional wing.

The Ghent factory currently produces the first electric Volvo models, the XC40 Recharge and the C40. The carmaker wants to triple its production capacity for these fully electric models. Today's battery factory, however, can only handle 150.000 battery packs per year. "In the future, we will have to assemble more", explains spokesperson Barbara Blomme. "The new building will be able to produce at least as many, possibly more."

"Within the framework of the electrification strategy, Volvo Car Gent will continue to recruit. Naturally, a substantial number of people will also be employed here."

The preparatory construction work for the new wing already started at the end of June. Part of the staff car park has disappeared in order to make space, but this was compensated for by moving part of the car park to a dock behind the Volvo site.

The current battery plant employs 240 people in three shifts. "We are not yet making any predictions about employment in this additional battery plant", says Blomme. "But within the framework of the electrification strategy, Volvo Car Gent will continue to recruit. Naturally, a substantial number of people will also be employed here."

Today, Volvo Car is already one of the largest industrial employers in Flanders, with almost 7.000 employees. There are still several hundred vacancies, mainly for operators and service technicians.

The end of the construction work on the expansion is planned for the second half of 2023.

(BRV)

#FlandersNewsService

© BELGA PHOTO JONAS D'HOLLANDER