CATL Begins Trial Battery Cell Production at Debrecen Plant in Hungary

CATL has begun trial production on the first two lines of its new battery cell factory in Debrecen, Hungary. The trial’s purpose is to set up, optimize and validate the production equipment and manufacturing processes before series production starts.

Before issuing the facility’s occupancy permit, the Hajdú-Bihar County Government Office carried out regular on-site inspections to follow up on earlier issues that had caused serious concern among local residents. According to CATL, the authority’s representatives confirmed that the company had resolved all deficiencies identified earlier in the permitting process. The company says it will monitor employee health, safety and environmental factors during the trial and submit the results to the authority.

CATL announced the Debrecen plant, its second battery plant in Europe after its plant in Germany, in August 2022. Construction of the first cell building began in summer 2023, and the building had been equipped by spring 2026. CATL has also been manufacturing battery modules at the site since autumn 2024 and puts its output since then at 537,000 modules.

CATL says the Debrecen plant will supply European automakers that have built EV production capacity in Hungary, and that it installed flexible production lines there to meet its customers’ needs. The company expects the site to become its largest manufacturing base outside China and plans 100 GWh of capacity once all facilities are complete.

Source: CATL