The construction of the Vaasa battery factory is possible to begin already during the summer 2018
According to the research done by the Gaia consulting company Vaasa has excellent qualifications to place a battery factory this big in its area. By fastest it would be possible to begin the construction works during summer 2018, if the more specific evaluation and permission processes proceed as planned.
“The independent research done serves both getting the huge battery factory or other investments of similar size to Vaasa. The research answers the central questions of the investors and makes the decision making easier. The research serves the fastest possible permission process, and furthermore we also got valuable information on how to profile ourselves even more from the other competitors”, says the City Mayor of Vaasa Tomas Häyry.
In their research, Gaia estimates the placing of the factory, the permit requirements as well as the risks with investing in a factory. The permissions needed in the project are among others for chemicals used in the production of batteries, as well as the storing and transporting of them.
Among others, solvents are needed in the cathode processes, which are very central within battery production, which means the factory project will most likely need to make an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and go into a permission procedure. The factory will also most likely be asked to provide security settlements due to the large-scale usage and storing of chemicals. The circumstances in the locations will be researched as part of the planning.
According to Gaia the merit rating of environmental effects and other permission processes can be processed in synergy with the city planning processes and hence a smooth and fast permission process can be guaranteed. The authorities approve the security evaluations and set the boundaries for the functions according to legislation.
“Apart from the technical readiness and permissions needed, social acceptability is important for the project. Not in this manner either do we have problems, as the Vaasa region has stood in unison behind the battery factory immediately from the moment it was made official”, Häyry continues.
The Gaia consulting company for sustainable business did the research on the qualifications for the battery factory project and the permission procedures on commission of the City of Vaasa during spring 2017. In the research, the demands for placing such a big factory as the Gigafactory battery factory, the included production processes and elements due to these were inspected. The work will continue with the security controls of the possible locations and planning of these.
“The Gigafactory project is progressing according to our plans. Vaasa is already on the lists of many battery producers, and we have gotten many interesting contacts from many notable international companies from the energy domain”, says Häyry.
Further information:
Tomas Häyry, Mayor of Vaasa, phone +358 40 540 5412
Call back requests to Ulla Huhmarsalo, phone +358 6 325 1022.