Chinese company CATL has completed the first investment phase at its battery plant in Debrecen, worth EUR 2.5 billion. The workforce is expected to increase from the current 2,800 to 3,300 employees by the end of the year. The original site development plan envisaged total capacity of 100 GWh across three construction phases, for which CATL intended to invest EUR 7.5 billion in total. However, following the change of government, these plans are now in question.
The world leader in battery technology began manufacturing modules at its Debrecen site in 2024. More than 537,000 modules have been produced to date. Both NCM and LFP batteries are manufactured in Debrecen.
In September, CATL officially launched trial operations on the first two battery cell production lines, following the granting of the occupancy permit in August 2026. The start date for regular series production of battery cells has not yet been determined.
The battery plant was built in the immediate vicinity of BMW’s Neue Klasse plant. BMW subsequently uses the cells supplied by its partner to assemble battery packs at its own facility. Mercedes does the same at its dedicated battery assembly plant in Kecskemét.
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