Verkor Battery Gigafactory Powers Europe’s EV Goals

Verkor has officially inaugurated its first lithium-ion low-carbon battery cell gigafactory in Bourbourg, near Dunkirk, marking a key step in building a European battery industry at scale. The ceremony took place under the high patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron and signals Verkor’s transition from pilot production to full industrial manufacturing.

For eeNews Europe readers, this matters because battery supply chains, industrial scale-up, and energy sovereignty are central to Europe’s electronics, automotive, and power sectors. The Bourbourg plant is another concrete example of how Europe is trying to reduce dependence on Asian battery suppliers while accelerating the energy transition.

From pilot lines to gigawatt-hours

The Bourbourg gigafactory starts with an initial capacity of 16 GWh per year, targeting the fast-growing market for decarbonized electric mobility. Verkor plans to commercialize its first batteries in 2026, with Alpine’s A390 electric vehicle named as the first customer application. Looking further ahead, the company aims to scale capacity to 50 GWh by 2030, positioning itself as a major European battery supplier.

The project is expected to create around 1,200 direct jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs in the Hauts-de-France region. It also builds on work done at the Verkor Innovation Centre (VIC) in Grenoble, where battery cells and processes were developed and validated before being transferred to Dunkirk.

According to Verkor, the VIC pilot line operates 24/7 and has already produced tens of thousands of cells. These cells were initially used to assemble modules at the gigafactory, while process innovations were gradually integrated into large-scale manufacturing. The Bourbourg site is now producing its own cells, demonstrating industrial maturity.

A digital, data-driven factory

The gigafactory has been designed as a digital-first manufacturing site. Verkor says it uses proprietary digital architecture to manage product, process, and material data across the factory, ensuring full traceability and supporting productivity and quality at scale.

Financially, the project is backed by a broad mix of public and private funding. Since 2020, Verkor has secured more than €3 billion to support the Dunkirk gigafactory and the Grenoble innovation center, with investors ranging from industrial groups to infrastructure and sustainability-focused funds, alongside European and French public institutions.

Political backing and European ambition

French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the strategic dimension of the project, stating: “The inauguration of this Gigafactory, the third in this Region, demonstrates that reindustrialization, innovation, and decarbonization can move forward together. We are creating jobs, strengthening our technology and energy autonomy, and preparing the future of mobility in France and across Europe.”

Verkor CEO Benoit Lemaignan added: “This milestone symbolizes Verkor’s transition into a European industrial company and opens the way for the imminent delivery of our batteries.”

With multiple gigafactories now emerging across Europe, Verkor’s Dunkirk site underlines how battery manufacturing is becoming a cornerstone of Europe’s industrial and energy strategy.