Way clear for the Chinese company CATL to build a battery plant in Thuringia

GICON takes over approval planning

The Chinese CATL company has cleared another hurdle towards the construction of a battery cell factory for electric cars in Thuringia. Environment Minister Anja Siegesmund (Green Party) handed over the permit for an early start to construction in Jena on October 2. The billion-euro project had previously been examined from an environmental perspective by the State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation (Landesamt für Umwelt, Bergbau und Naturschutz) as the immission control authority. Construction is to begin in the fourth quarter. According to the company, investments of up to 1.8 billion euros in the Thuringian battery cell factory are planned over the next five years - depending on the market development for electric cars. The plant will be built near Arnstadt in Thuringia's largest industrial park, the "Erfurter Kreuz". CATL - known by its full name as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. - is a major manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries headquartered in Ningde, China, and intends to supply German and European automobile manufacturers with batteries for electric cars from its Thuringia plant.

(source: German Press Agency)

GICON prepares documents for Federal Immision Control Act application

GICON has prepared the foundation for the billion euro investment in Thuringia on behalf of CATL: the engineering service provider is responsible for two partial permits in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG), which are the prerequisites for the start of construction and the subsequent commissioning of the plant. The application documents for the first partial permit were submitted on 27 May 2019. The second part is to be submitted to the responsible authorities in January 2020. The following services were implemented as part of the preparation of the partial permit: a fire protection concept, an initial condition report, immission forecasts according to the Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control (TA Luft) and the Technical Instructions on Noise Control (TA Lärm), a smokestack height calculation, a safety report and documents for the preliminary examination of the individual case according to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG), FFH preliminary examination documents and documents for the initial condition report.