Debrecen4U December 4, 2025

CATL to begin series production in Debrecen next spring

Battery cell production will begin soon at CATL’s Debrecen plant: production is planned to start in the first months of 2026 in the new plant, which was built with a greenfield investment. Construction has been completed, the installation of modern Industry 4.0 production lines has been completed, and the greening of the plant’s environment has also begun.

CATL is transforming from a global supplier into a specifically European partner, with its Debrecen plant playing a key role in supplying the continent. The company’s goal is to build a smart, scalable, and sustainable European production base in Hungary.

The company started assembling battery modules in Debrecen a year earlier. In the production hall located next to the cell factory, more than 120,000 modules have been manufactured so far, which have been installed in over 30,000 electric vehicles.

According to the company’s statement, the investment is driven by the growing demand of the European automotive industry, especially for high‑performance and safe batteries.

The Debrecen cell plant will play a key role in supplying the continent’s automotive industry: the first plant will have an annual capacity of 40 GWh, which the company has already fully booked with its existing customers.

“The Debrecen investment is a huge step in strengthening CATL’s European presence. We are planning for the long term, bringing the most modern products to Hungary with sustainable production technology. Our European partners have already booked 100 percent of the capacity of the Debrecen plant,” emphasized Matt Shen, CATL’s Managing Director for Germany and Hungary, at the press conference in Debrecen.

At the end of November, CATL also announced that it would begin construction of the LFP battery cell and module plant to be built in Zaragoza, Spain, together with Stellantis. The Debrecen and Spanish plants will serve the European customer base together, while the Spanish plant will primarily focus on the needs of the Stellantis group.

Focus on sustainability

During the design of the Debrecen cell plant, a key priority was to ensure that the plant fully complies with European Union environmental regulations as well as Hungarian legislation. As part of this, the facility will use a new water‑saving cooling technology and introduce energy‑efficient solutions.

CATL Debrecen’s environmental commitment is also confirmed by the ISO 14001 certificate it obtained in October this year, which certifies the operation of an internationally recognized environmental management system. In order to achieve carbon neutrality goals, the company is striving to use electricity from renewable sources and build its own solar power plant capacity. According to plans, the Debrecen plant will also achieve carbon neutrality within two years of its launch. As part of the environmentally friendly developments, the greening of the factory’s surroundings also began this fall.

“The entire infrastructure is expected to be built next year, after which the mixing of the two components can begin, thus creating a mixed water that already contains a significant proportion of locally treated wastewater,” explained Balázs Szilágyi, Head of Public Affairs at CATL Debrecen.

Local jobs, international opportunities

CATL Debrecen has been recruiting intensively for more than two years, as a result of which the number of employees will soon exceed a thousand. During the 2024 and 2025 recruitment campaigns, approximately two-thirds of the open positions were filled with applicants from Debrecen and the region. The company aims to reach a headcount of 1,500 by the first quarter of 2026.

“We are building a local company that offers international knowledge and opportunities while creating a stable, modern, and predictable working environment. We are looking for professionals in the areas of production, logistics, quality assurance, finance, IT, and HR. In addition to competitive salaries, we provide professional and cultural training and a wide range of learning opportunities,” said Alexandra Kitta, Recruitment Manager of CATL Debrecen. 

Social responsibility in Debrecen

In line with its international ESG strategy, CATL is actively involved in local community life in Debrecen. In 2025, the company supported several major events in the city and, for the first time, contributed to organizing the Chinese Lantern Festival and the Mid‑Autumn Festival.

The company emphasized that it will continue its CSR activities in the future, with particular attention to supporting children and protecting the environment.

Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Papp Laszló Facebook