Morocco’s Electric Revolution: $5.6 Billion Battery Plant to Power African Auto Industry

The factory will be built in the city of Kénitra, in the northwest of the kingdom, and should produce 20 gigawatt-hours per year by 2026, or even 100 gigawatt-hours in the medium term. The project is expected to generate nearly 2,300 jobs in its initial phase, and 10,000 jobs in the long run.

According to Khalid Qalam, Gotion’s director in Morocco, the factory will be operational in the third quarter of 2026 and will produce batteries as well as the positive electrode (cathodes) and the negative electrode (anodes), destined for the European and African markets and for automotive manufacturers established in Morocco such as Renault and Stellantis.

Moroccan automotive exports reached a record level of 157 billion dirhams ($15.7 billion) in 2024, up 6.3%, with about 85% of production exported to the European Union, which plans to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel cars by 2035.

The factory represents a strategic step for China in Africa. In Morocco, Chinese companies such as BTR, CNGR, Hailiang and Shinzoom are investing in the battery sector, positioning the kingdom as a hub for green technologies in North Africa and a bridge between Africa, Europe and Asia.