not for triumphalism, not for any backslapping," Khan told international justice ministers meeting in London to discuss scaling up support for the ICC. Moscow rejects the charges, calling the move unacceptable and saying it had no legal force in Russia which is not an ICC member. Last Friday, the ICC accused Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. Microvast (MVST.O), meanwhile, built a factory in Ludwigsfelde, south of Berlin.LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) had to take action against Russian President Vladimir Putin over alleged war crimes but the move was a "sombre" one and not a moment for backslapping, the organisation's chief prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday. CATL (300750.SZ), which has been expanding rapidly outside China, is ramping up production of its plant near Erfurt in Germany and BASF (BASFn.DE) is building a battery materials site in Schwarzheide, eastern Germany. The support still needs the approval of the European Commission.Ī second plant could also be constructed in parallel elsewhere, a Northvolt spokesperson said, including in North America.įoreign and domestic companies have invested in Germany to feed its growing EV industry. The subsidies for Northvolt would be the first provided by Germany under Europe's TCTF programme, adopted in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and expanded this year to support green transition projects. last year unveiled its major tax subsidies to boost domestic manufacturing. French President Emmanuel Macron lobbied for the factory to beat other contestants like Germany and the Netherlands.īoth Germany and France sweetened the subsidy pot after the U.S. The plant by Taiwan's ProLogium would be its first overseas car battery factory. Northvolt, alongside Volkswagen, is the furthest ahead among just a handful of European players paving the way for a home-grown battery industry, with a large chunk of planned capacity in Europe to be owned by Asian players. How energy prices could be brought down was unclear, the spokesperson added, though supply is not a concern given high amounts of offshore wind near the plant's planned location. Volkswagen was expected to announce a battery plant location in Europe late last year but said in March it is awaiting more clarity from Europe on subsidies before making a decision.įor Northvolt, Europe's 'Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework' (TCTF) which simplifies conditions for countries to grant aid to green projects and allowed Germany more freedom in offering support for the battery plant, helped firm up its plans to build in the region, a spokesperson said. Inflation Reduction Act has prompted companies from Volkswagen to utility Enel and cement maker Holcim to call on the European Union to do more to encourage investment. High energy prices and a lack of subsidies comparable to the $430-billion U.S. With Taiwan a focal point in tensions between Washington and Beijing, the company also wanted to secure a base overseas.Įurope, home to carmakers such as Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE), has been trying to lower dependency on Asian countries for batteries that will power green electric cars, though the region still relies heavily on Asia for sourcing and processing raw materials like lithium, cobalt and manganese. Taiwan's ProLogium, meanwhile, announced a new plant in the French city of Dunkirk after France offered deal sweeteners and competitive power prices, executives from the company said. STOCKHOLM/BERLIN, May 12 (Reuters) - Two electric vehicle battery makers plan to spend around 10 billion euros ($11 billion) on factories in Europe, they said on Friday, after Europe loosened state aid rules for green industry projects in a bid to win the subsidy race with the U.S.īoth plants will start production in 2026, employ thousands of people and supply batteries to European car makers.Īfter months of worry that it would opt for an investment in North America over Europe, Sweden's Northvolt said it is set to pick Heide in northern Germany for its factory as long as subsidies are approved, estimated by one source close to the matter to be over 600 million euros.
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