“Morocco is negotiating with electric vehicle battery manufacturers to set up a factory in the country to integrate with its existing automotive sector and cobalt production.
We hope to sign an agreement for the factory before the end of this year,” said Ryad Mezzour, Moroccan Minister of Industry in an interview with Reuters, without however disclosing the names of the companies, or the investment amount.
He will specify that it is a “gigafactory” for batteries of electric vehicles which “will offer a considerable boost to the local automotive sector” and will benefit from the availability of renewable energies and raw materials such as cobalt and phosphates in the country. “The demand for this type of battery is increasing both outside and inside Morocco, where Citroën plans to double its production capacity within two years to go from 50,000 supermini electric cars,” added the Moroccan official.
Renault and Stellantis have set up factories in Morocco with a combined production capacity of 700,000 units. “We are aiming for one million in the next three or four years,” predicts Ryad Mezzour.
