French battery maker Verkor, a partner of Renault Group, has officially opened its first large-scale battery cell factory in Dunkirk, northern France, marking a key step in France’s efforts to build a domestic electric vehicle battery industry.
The facility, known as Gigafactory Bourbourg, has an initial annual production capacity of 16 gigawatt-hours (GWh) and is planned to expand to 50 GWh by 2030, Verkor said. Construction of the plant began in late 2023 and was completed in about two years.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who attended the inauguration, said the project illustrated how industrial revival, innovation and decarbonisation could progress together, highlighting its role in job creation and strengthening France’s technological and energy autonomy.
Once fully operational, the Dunkirk site is expected to employ around 1,200 people directly and support a further 3,000 indirect jobs, according to the company.
Verkor’s main customer is Renault Group, which entered into a strategic partnership with the battery maker in 2021. That relationship was converted into a binding supply agreement in April 2023, under which Verkor is set to provide high-performance batteries for Renault’s electric vehicles from the C-segment upward, as well as for Alpine models.
Verkor said the first battery cells produced at the Dunkirk plant will be used in the Alpine A390 from 2026. Renault had previously indicated plans to source 10 GWh of batteries from Verkor by 2026, rising to 20 GWh by 2030, though the automaker has not issued updated figures since 2023.
While several European battery projects have scaled back ambitions amid slower-than-expected EV demand, Verkor said it remains on track with the production targets it set out two years ago.
“The inauguration of our Gigafactory, five years after Verkor’s creation, marks the culmination of an exceptional commitment from our teams and the steadfast support of our partners,” Verkor Chief Executive Benoit Lemaignan said, adding that the project demonstrated how decarbonisation and industrial value creation could advance together in Europe.
Verkor’s research and development activities are based at its Verkor Innovation Centre (VIC) in Grenoble, which began operating in mid-2023. The VIC has been producing battery cells on a pilot line to validate manufacturing processes, with module assembly at the Dunkirk site already under way using cells from Grenoble before the start of on-site cell production.
The project has been backed by more than €3 billion in financing secured since 2020, including €2 billion raised in a Series C funding round in September 2023. Verkor’s investors include Macquarie Asset Management, Meridiam, Renault, EQT Ventures, EIT InnoEnergy and Sibanye-Stillwater, alongside support from European and French public institutions.
