Morocco Aims to Build Electric Vehicle Battery Gigafactory by Year’s End

"Morocco is negotiating with electric vehicle battery manufacturers to set up a factory in the country to integrate into its existing automotive sector and its cobalt production. [...] We hope to sign an agreement for the factory before the end of this year," said Ryad Mezzour, Moroccan Minister of Industry, in an interview with Reuters, without revealing the names of the companies or the amount of the investment.

He specified that it is a "gigafactory" for electric vehicle batteries that "will provide a considerable boost to the local automotive sector" and will benefit from the availability of renewable energies and raw materials such as cobalt and phosphates in the country. "Demand for this type of battery is increasing outside and inside Morocco, where Citroën plans to double its production capacity within two years to go from 50,000 to 100,000 supermini electric cars," added the Moroccan official.

Renault and Stellantis have set up factories in Morocco with a combined production capacity of 700,000 units. "We are aiming for one million in the next three or four years," predicts Ryad Mezzour.