Study: Brandenburg becomes the center of the battery industry

Brandenburg is developing into a center of the battery industry in Germany. This is the result of a study commissioned by the Brandenburg Economic Development Agency (WFBB). In Brandenburg, 33 companies with a combined total of around 9,300 jobs are already working in the battery value chain. Further investments with a total of around 3,500 jobs are in preparation or under construction. In addition, there are nine research institutes closely related to batteries. The study will be presented on March 14, 2023, at the first Battery Forum of the German Capital Region at the Brandenburg State Representation in Berlin.

The study covers the entire value chain of the battery – from the active material through cell production to complete battery packs. Suppliers for equipment, development and testing as well as logistics and users were also included. Battery recycling was also considered for the sustainable orientation of the value chain. A total of around 130 stakeholders from Brandenburg and the surrounding regions of Berlin, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, northern Thuringia and the two Polish voivodeships of Lower Silesia and Opole were surveyed, including 86 companies, 29 research institutions and multipliers. The study therefore offers a comprehensive view of the potential for cross-border innovation cooperation in the battery industry.

“Battery technology is a key to modern mobility and the energy transition. Brandenburg has the chance to play in the top league here. With the lithium processing at RockTech in Guben, the production of cathode material at BASF in Schwarzheide, the planned cell factory of SVolt in Lauchhammer and the battery module production of Microvast in Ludwigsfelde, Brandenburg will become the central location for a large part of the entire value chain. In addition, there is battery production at Tesla and battery recycling at BASF,” emphasizes Brandenburg’s Economics Minister Prof. Dr. Ing. Jörg Steinbach.

WFBB CEO Dr. Steffen Kammradt says of the study’s findings: “The battery study provides a comprehensive picture of the battery location in Brandenburg for the first time. A strong competence has developed here in a very short time. And the development continues; we see that in the ongoing discussions with investors. The great potential for transnational cooperation that the study shows is equally important. With Berlin and Saxony in particular, Brandenburg has two neighbors that also have strong battery competencies. The study shows that eastern Germany as a whole has developed into a driver in the field of the battery industry in Germany.”

Of the 86 companies considered, 72 (84%) are operating, another 10 are in planning and four are under construction. Within Brandenburg, the district of Teltow-Fläming has the highest number of active companies, with seven. This is followed by the Lausitz region. East Brandenburg also plays a key role with the Tesla battery plant.

In Brandenburg, companies from all stakeholder groups in the value chain are active or are already being planned:

• BASF in Schwarzheide and RockTech in Guben represent the start of the value chain – the active materials.
• Equipment suppliers are represented several times in Brandenburg: Cell contact systems from DAM Diehl in Zehdenick and special adhesive connections for battery packs from Gustav Scharnau in Werneuchen are two examples of this.
• The SVolt company is planning cell production in Lauchhammer.
• Three companies in Brandenburg assemble battery packs and modules, including Tesla.
• The most prominent example of the testing area is the test center operated by DEKRA at the Lausitzring in Klettwitz. The Federal Institute for Materials Research (BAM) also maintains the Technical Safety Test Site in Baruth (Mark) and conducts research on the safety of battery systems at the Berlin location.
• With the British company EV Cargo, a logistics company specializing in batteries has come to Frankfurt (Oder).
• In addition, there are nine research institutes in Brandenburg, for example at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, as well as others in Berlin and Saxony.
• At the end of the value chain is the application, for example, at vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla or in the energy sector at LEAG and e.dis.
• Finally, battery recycling completes and at the same time restarts the value-added cycle. BASF, for example, is building this as a second pillar alongside cathode material in Schwarzheide. ReMetall in Schipkau is also active in battery recycling, and other companies are preparing to enter the market. The study was prepared by I-Vector Innovationsmanagement GmbH on behalf of the WFBB. In particular, it forms a good basis for the further work of the mobility, plastics and chemicals, metal and energy technology clusters involved in the mobility transition, in order to expand the networking of companies and research institutions.

A network of business and science

Business meets science in the Airport Region Berlin Brandenburg. Here companies find a first-class university and institute-related research base and an environment in which scientific institutions and technology-oriented companies work hand in hand. In other words, the best conditions for developing marketable products out of innovative ideas.

For more information on the economic development of the region's growth industries, business and technology support for companies, investors and scientific institutions, feel free to contact:

Melanie Gartzke I 

Source: Cluster Transport, Mobility and Logistics, mobilitaet-bb.de, March 14, 2023; Press release Wirtschaftsförderung Brandenburg WFBB, March 07, 2023