Italy‘s government will reallocate some 200 million euros (USD 222.78 million) in European Union funds it had previously earmarked for a plan by Stellantis to build a battery-making plant in Termoli, officials said on Tuesday.
ACC, a battery joint venture in which Stellantis is the largest investor, had plans for three gigafactories in Europe.
In June it said it was halting works on two of them, in central Italy and in Germany, as the company switches to lower cost batteries amid slowing demand for electric vehicles.
A number of European companies have invested in lithium-ion battery production to serve the continent’s automakers as they switch from internal combustion engine cars to emission-free electric vehicles.
But the growth in EV demand is moving at a slower pace than some in the industry had projected, and competition is stiff from battery producers and automakers in Asia and North America.
The venture on Tuesday confirmed uncertainty over the timing of the construction of the Termoli and the German gigafactories in a meeting at the industry ministry, the government officials said.
ACC, which also has Mercedes and TotalEnergies as shareholders, said in a statement it was ready to start construction of the gigafactory in late June, but had to deal with a “slower than expected transition to electric mobility that led to an evolution in the technology demanded by the customers.”
Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said he would use the EU funds to support separate investments consistent with Rome’s energy strategy to make its economy greener.
Italy set aside 200 million euros from the EU’s post-COVID recovery funds for the gigafactory and pledged to earmark additional 200 million euros in national and regional funds.
The minister added that separate domestic state money could be earmarked should ACC be able to present a new industrial plan for Termoli at a later stage.
The availability of national public subsidies “is critical to support the competitiveness of ACC’s investment in Italy,” it said.
During the discussions, Stellantis assured the government that it would continue to produce endothermic engines in Termoli, keeping the current employment levels, in view of the transition towards the gigafactory.
