According to ČEZ CEO Daniel Beneš, the site of the former Prunéřov lignite-fired power plant is a suitable location for building a gigafactory for the production of traction batteries for Škoda Auto cars and others from the Volkswagen Group. Beneš said in an interview with Autonaelektřinu.cz.
According to Beneš, ČEZ has been conducting talks about this business plan for a long time. In addition to Škoda, it also has various technological partners. “But we have been talking about this with Škoda for the longest time, for about a year,” he said shortly after the commissioning of the company’s 300th public charging station in the Kaufland shopping center in Nymburk.
The mentioned technological partners could include companies that already have experience with the production of traction batteries and have the necessary know-how. Beneš cited the Korean LG as a possible example. “When choosing this technological partner, however, it will of course also be necessary to take into account the needs of Škoda-Auto,” he said.
CEZ will be able to supply the necessary lithium for batteries from the mines in the Ore Mountains. “Mining will be provided by our subsidiary Severočeské doly,” Beneš said. According to him, commercial mining of this raw material could begin in the years 2024 to 2025. Until then, the appropriate method of mining and processing of this raw material must be evaluated.
The Prunéřov power plant was shut down last summer after more than fifty years. CEZ already announced at that time that it wanted to continue to use this location as a business. Possible variants included, for example, a solar park, a steam-gas power plant, a battery storage facility or the installation of giant storage tanks for hot water storage.