Battery factories

The future of mobility is electric—and as free as possible from climate-changing emissions. Due to the transition from the internal combustion engine to electric mobility, new factories for the mass production of battery cells are being built all over the world. HOCHTIEF has already secured a number of contracts in the USA and in Germany.

Industry experts estimate that automakers worldwide will invest 330 billion U.S. dollars in the entire electric vehicle supply chain over the next five years. Around one third of this amount is expected to go into batteries.

“We pay attention to our CO₂ emissions during the construction phase,” says Jim Brownrigg, Senior Vice President at Turner. The HOCHTIEF company is one of the leading providers of such industrial structures in North America and has already been awarded various megaprojects, including a battery plant for Honda and LG Energy Solution with an investment volume of several billion U.S. dollars. Turner is working with suppliers on methods to reduce CO₂ in construction materials and is introducing the use of tools and vehicles at construction sites that are powered by electricity instead of diesel.

In De Soto, Kansas, Turner will build an electric vehicle battery production facility for Panasonic Energy. The plant is expected to begin production in 2025. The 4 billion U.S. dollar project will help the client reach net zero by 2030. With the rise of building complexity and the customers’ wish to complete construction as quickly as possible, Turner is also using prefabrication and modularization methods.

In Kentucky, we are delivering a project worth up to one billion U.S. dollars: Together with partners, we are building a manufacturing facility there for Ascend Elements that manufactures sustainable, engineered battery materials from recycled batteries. In Germany, HOCHTIEF is constructing the first battery factory for Volkswagen, with a capacity of 40 GWh, in Salzgitter. Volkswagen, which is the second-largest automaker after Toyota, plans to build a total of six battery factories with a combined capacity of 240 GWh.