Debrecen4U
July 6, 2026
CATL Debrecen Hosts Exclusive Press Tour
During a press tour of its Debrecen facility, CATL representatives said that battery module production has been underway since autumn 2024 across a 60,000-square-metre manufacturing site. They also explained how they respond to information they regard as inaccurate circulating on social media.
Alongside environmental protection and sustainability, operational safety has been one of its highest priorities for CATL Debrecen. Throughout the three-year construction project, preventing workplace accidents and environmental damage was identified as a primary objective. Mihály Bodnár, CATL’s Head of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), explained that the company requires every subcontractor to comply fully with its health and safety regulations. More than 9,000 health and safety inspections were carried out during the construction phase. Only workers with valid occupational health certificates, the required safety training, appropriate machinery operating licences, and the prescribed personal protective equipment are permitted to enter the site. “During the construction period, CATL’s own health, safety and environmental team delivered 1,700 health and safety training sessions. Together with specialists from our subcontractors, they conducted more than 9,000 workplace safety inspections. Our teams maintain a continuous presence on site to ensure that all safety regulations are observed,” he said.
The company also explained that its environmental permit contains exceptionally stringent requirements, and compliance is monitored through an extensive environmental monitoring system. Geological conditions are monitored at 18 locations and at three different depths. In addition, 108 sediment samples are collected from the reservoir twice each year. Groundwater quality is monitored through 15 observation wells. Although the environmental permit requires only two inspections annually, CATL has chosen to monitor the wells every month during the initial phase of operations.
CATL’s Communications Director also claimed that the company often faces the rapid spread of inaccurate or misleading information on social media. “For a multinational company of this size, it is not always easy to respond immediately to every claim that appears on social media. For this reason, we have established our own communication channels. Our aim is to provide faster and more effective information to the public through these platforms, as well as through the media and non-governmental organisations,” said Noémi Sidló, CATL’s Communications Director.
Battery module production has been taking place at the company’s leased Debrecen facility since autumn 2024 across 60,000 square metres of manufacturing space. Since production began, 381,000 battery modules have been manufactured in Debrecen, providing sufficient capacity to power approximately 87,000 electric vehicles across Europe.
Construction of CATL’s first Debrecen battery cell factory, designed with an annual production capacity of 40 gigawatt-hours (GWh), has now been completed. Commercial production is expected to commence once the remaining regulatory approvals have been obtained.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
