It was announced as a new futuristic project, but it has already stalled. The negotiations on gigafactory in Stellantis plant in Termoliwhich should have led to the production of electric batteries for cars – in a project that also involves Mercedes And Total with the joint venture Acc (Automotive cells company) – ran aground. The news was given by the trade unions who, saddened by the decision, are asking the government to intervene. The same executive had already allocated 400 million euros drawn from the funds of Pnrr to subsidize the project which requires a total amount of approximately 2 billion.
Stellantis, the gigafactory of the Termoli plant stops
Accduring the negotiations, said she was unwilling to continue any discussion on the gigafactory in Termoli at least until the end of the year. He has effectively frozen the negotiations which, only a few weeks ago, seemed to have found a solution. The project envisages that the production of batteries for electric cars is carried out in the Molise factory of Stellantis and, at least in the hopes of the government, unions and workers, it represented a step forward shown by the group towards Italian factories. This possibility, at the moment, seems to have disappeared.
Unions attack Stellantis
The firm decision of the joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes And Total on the gigafactory in Termoli it infuriated i labor unions of category. Fim, Fiom, Uilm, Fismic, Uglm and Aqcfr, specifically, explain that during the meeting held at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, Acc had a “very elusive attitude” from which it can be deduced “that the construction of the gigafactory in Termoli is not simply postponed for a few months, but suspended at least until the end of the year without any certainty for the future”.
Sources ministerial they also let it be known that the ministry only learned of Acc’s wishes at the last moment, despite the project having already been completed approved in the programming of the Pnrr. The ministry therefore reserves the right to evaluate the situation also with the European Commission, to verify whether the changes made to the plan can be compatible with the times and methods of the financing already allocated by the 400 million euros. There is therefore a common purpose, in this case, between the trade union forces and the Italian executive in not sharing the decision taken by Stellantis, Mercedes and Total.
Termoli Gigafactory, according to Acc the stop is due to the drop in demand
While taking note of the criticisms from unions and the ministry, Acc justifies your choice by referring to both sharp slowdown in demand for electric vehicles than to the need for a technological update regarding the batteries that should be produced in Molise.
However, Acc’s decision goes against the grain of what was established by the Acc itself Stellantis not long ago regarding the production of electric vehicles in the Termoli plant. In fact, the new one will be produced precisely in Molise Fiat 500 hybrid (commercial launch at the end of 2025), just as it was decided to extend the commercial life of the Fiat Panda hybrid until 2029.
The other Stellantis gigafactories
The unions ask the government to force Acc’s hand and for Stellantis “to fully assume its responsibilities, to clarify which engines it will produce in Termoli and for how many years”. The fear is that the plant could lose its centrality, given that in the meantime Stellantis has already inaugurated its own gigafactory French site of Douvin and is in advanced stages of starting another in Germany.
