On November 26, 2025, colorful flags fluttered on the construction site in Figueras, Aragon Autonomous Region, Spain. The lithium iron phosphate battery factory jointly built by CATL and Stellantis Group officially broke ground. During the groundbreaking ceremony, Spanish Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jorge Arreu, praised this super factory with a total investment of 4.1 billion euros (approximately 33.68 billion yuan) as "the best contribution Spain can make to the re industrialization of Europe" and a milestone in the deep integration of industries between China and Europe.

As one of China's largest investment projects in Spain to date, the factory has not only received strong support from 300 million euros (approximately 2.46 billion yuan) of EU funds, but also set a regional record with a planned annual production capacity of 50 gigawatt hours. It is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2026. The factory is located adjacent to Stellantis Group's Zaragoza High Efficiency Vehicle Plant, with 89% renewable energy supply perfectly meeting CATL's carbon neutral production standards, which will significantly reduce battery transportation costs and carbon footprint. The products will be mainly supplied to Stellantis' B-class and C-Class electric sedans, crossover vehicles, and SUVs, promoting the expansion of the European affordable electric vehicle market.

It is worth noting that in order to overcome the manpower bottleneck in the construction of overseas factories, CATL will dispatch 2000 Chinese technicians to the local area to support the construction. This team, which masters the core technology of super factory construction, will increase the population of Figueras town from 1000 to nearly 3000. The project will continue to recruit and train 3000 local Spanish employees, forming an efficient collaboration model of "Chinese technology+local manpower". Jose Juan Arcez, General Secretary of the UGT Union in Aragon, bluntly stated, "They know how to build a super factory, which is an experience we urgently need to learn

The construction of this factory marks the completion of Ningde Times' layout in the three countries of "Germany, Hungary, and West" in Europe, and the establishment of a localized supply network covering Western, Central, and Southern Europe. Relying on CATL's technological barriers in the field of lithium iron phosphate batteries, such as a cycle life of over 12000 cycles and a 30% reduction in electricity costs throughout the entire lifecycle, as well as Stellantis' deep accumulation in the European automotive market, the project is regarded as a benchmark model for cooperation between multinational automotive companies and battery leaders in the industry. At the same time, the landing of factories has also brought industrial upgrading dividends to Spain. The local area is actively attracting battery supply chain supporting enterprises to gather and help the Aragon region build a new generation of battery manufacturing center in Europe.

From the production of the German factory to the expansion of the Hungarian base, and then to the start of the Spanish super factory, CATL has continuously strengthened its overseas layout, not only promoting China's battery technology standards to go global, but also injecting Eastern momentum into Europe's re industrialization with the "dual carbon" goal as a link, writing a new chapter in cross-border industrial cooperation.Editor/Bian Wenjun