A BASF battery factory is on the brink. The reason is concerns about environmental protection.
The employees should be released. The group is considering indefinite leave of absence for all employees there. BASF announced this on Thursday, April 11th. A high double-digit number of employees are affected. After complaints from environmentalists, an administrative court in February 2024 suspended an environmental permit that had only been granted at the end of 2023. As a result, among other things, test runs in the system are not possible, a company spokesman said. According to BASF, the further postponement and uncertainty will have long-term financial implications. The Ludwigshafen-based group wants to expand its production capacity of cathode material of 190 kilotons by 2024. Production in Lusatia should not suffer from the problems in Harjavalta. Their supply of intermediate products for production of cathodes is secured by other suppliers. The preliminary product is intended for production in Schwarzheide, Brandenburg.